Kanashi of the Hidden Grass (currently on hiatus will be back soon)
by Albren
Summary: Kanashi and his teammates are the best Genin that Kusagakure has to offer. Follow them as they compete in the Chunin exams following Konoha's invasion. But trouble is never far in the ninja world, and they've attracted the notice of a very dangerous ninja by the name of Hiruko. OC-centric story. Fuu, Hiruko and Guren will be major characters. Filler characters abundant.
1. Chapter 1

In the land of grass sat a short figure with a glazed look. He sat upon one of the taller building in the village hidden in the grass, looking out into the sunset. He liked this time of day, when everything wound down. People would prepare to cease their activities and make way for the night. The darkness was welcome release from the blinding light and scorching heat of the day.

In the Village Hidden in the Grass, all were governed by the sun. That was why he enjoyed it when it set. With it no longer in the sky, the people were free to do what they wished. And there was nothing more Kanashi enjoyed doing than absolutely nothing. Unfortunately, that was a poor desire for a ninja. Especially the top Genin in the Village Hidden in the Grass.

At that thought he shook his head, ruffling his short brown hair in the wind. He was supposed to be a Chunin by now, as were his teammates. But their Sensei had decided to take the extra time to train them for the next one. As it turned out, that was actually a very good move. The Leaf village had been attacked by the Sound and Sand during the last Chunin exam. Even the Hokage had been felled. Not to mention, all the other Grass ninja had failed to get to the third part of the exam. From what they had said when they returned, the competition was ridiculously tough. Karin had mentioned that she had gained something, though. She was rather quiet about what it was, however.

That thought made him worry. He and his teammates were the cream of the crop, the best the Grass village had to offer. But the second best team had indeed gone to the exams, and were slaughtered in the fray. In fact, it was said Orochimaru, the leader of the Sound, had personally killed them. That made him nervous. What if the same happened in the upcoming Chunin exams? They were being held in the Leaf again. Only six months after it neared total destruction.

The Village Hidden in the Grass was different from the Leaf village in many ways, one of these ways were team formations. Kanashi had heard that the Leaf balanced their teams by pitting different level ninja together to keep their power balanced between the recently graduated teams. The Grass village did not do that. Instead, they kept Genin of the same level in the same team. The top three students would form a team, then the next three, then the next, and so on. This was so the Sensei could more easily teach the students, since they would all be roughly the same level as each other.

He was the top student when he graduated 5 years ago. His brother, and other teammate were the 2nd and 3rd students respectively. His Sensei was rather lax, and it fell upon themselves to improve. Well, at least until they mentioned wanting to take the Chunin exams. Then Suiren-Sensei had really begun to work with them. Kanashi smiled, thinking about his Sensei. She was a lot of fun. A bit ditzy at times, but fun. Unfortunately, He and his team had always been gifted, and were nearly her equal nowadays. Though, from what Kanashi had gathered, the Leaf ninja were on a whole different league, even their Genin.

"Hey! Kanashi! you up there? Suiren-Sensei wants us to celebrate our last night in the Grass Village. Come on! She's treating!"

Kanashi lifted his eyes away from the night sky, and peered down below. His brother, Akari was there in his green turtleneck and white shorts, short swords strapped on his back and wearing knee-length sandals. Kanashi thought he looked silly, but apparently, some of the girls in the village liked the look. Of course, it might just be his Brother they liked the looks of.

He and Akari looked rather similar, actually. The big differences were their heights, and their eye color. Kanashi had blue eyes, the color of the sky, while Akari had Brown eyes. Kanashi was a head shorter than other kids his age, while Akari was a head taller. It annoyed Kanashi to no end when people mistook Akari for the older brother. Strangely enough, though, it annoyed Akari too. The smaller differences were Akari's short goatee and black hair, versus his own clean-shaven face and dark brown hair.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. Tell Suiren-Sensei and Kujaku I'll be right there."

Kanashi didn't bother asking where they were going to celebrate. They always celebrated things at Suiren-Sensei's favorite restaurant. Kanashi enjoyed it well enough, after all, he wasn't one to force change. Change wasn't something he pined for. Which would explain his nervousness about tomorrow. They'd depart for the Chunin exams. The first one he would ever be in.

With a sigh, Kanashi stood up, and walked over the side of the tall building. With a small jump and a twist, he was walking down the side, clung to the wall using chakra. Kanashi jumped off when he was close enough to the ground that he was sure he wouldn't injure himself from the drop. He was cautious in that way.

After a brief walk, he came to the Akabachi, the Red Bee. This was the favored restaurant of his teammates. He gave off a smirk of satisfaction and entered the establishment.

"Yo! Kanashi over here!"

Kanashi looked over to the yelling Kunoichi in the corner, pleased to see his other teammate, Kujaku waving at him. She always was rather rambunctious. Luckily, they were regulars, and the owners didn't want to accidentally offend them, so Kujaku could be as loud as she wanted. Kanashi waved back and headed over, sitting beside her and across from his brother who was sitting by Suiren-Sensei.

"Nice of you to join us Kanashi, what were you doing out in the dark all by yourself? That's a little emo even for you." said Suiren.

Suiren was a Jounin of the Hidden Grass, and wore very standard gear. She wore a green jumpsuit with a standard vest, styled in the Grass's own fashion. Her hair was a light teal, and she had eyes to match. She was always teasing him for his apparently brooding behavior. He had been annoyed with it in his earlier years, but had grown to appreciate it for the light banter it was.

"The Darkness is relaxing Sensei. Besides, I was just trying to get my thoughts together for tomorrow. After all, it's going to be our first Chunin exam."

Suiren shook her head. "Don't worry about it. You three will pass no problem. You were wise to wait. People die in these things, and its best to be over-prepared in this case."

Kujaku smiled. "In that case Kanashi is set! He's Mister Over-prepared!"

Kanashi gave her a look. "Thanks, I guess."

Akari rolled his eyes. "You don't have to guess, you moron. It was a compliment."

Kanashi huffed in irritation. "If I'm such a moron, how come I was number one in the academy?"

"That was 5 years ago. I'd tear you to pieces if we fought now." Said Akari.

Suiren shook her head, amused at their banter. Akari and Kanashi often fought like this. And Akari usually was the one who provoked it. Unfortunately, today was a bad day to start a feud.

"Calm down guys, you can tear each other apart later. You need to work as a team if you guys want to come back with one of these babies." At that, Suiren pointed at her flak jacket.

"Don't worry Sensei, I'll keep them in line." Kujaku said with a smirk.

Kanashi gave off a smirk of his own, not bothering to challenge Kujaku's claim. Before long, their meals had come. Akari was trying something new, like always, and Kanashi ordered the exact same thing, as always. And Kujaku ate whatever Suiren ate. It was routine, and Kanashi enjoyed it. After all, they wouldn't be enjoying routine for quite a while.


	2. Chapter 2

The dawn came quicker than Kanashi had wished. Light poured into his room, onto his bed and straight on his face. He awoke with a yawn and made to close the blinds. Today was the day they left the Village Hidden in the Grass, and made their way to the Hidden Leaf. Suiren would not be able to accompany them, since she would be on her own mission. She would catch up to them later though. It was unlikely that they would uncover hostile forces, but of course, that did not mean it was impossible. Kanashi quickly showered and dressed in a new ensemble he had bought for this occasion.

While Kanashi enjoyed routine as much as the next man, he felt that this was a new chapter in his life. And as such, it required something new. Rather than put on his old outfit, a grey shirt, black haori, and blue shorts. He put on a new outfit he had bought last week. It consisted of Ninja-fishnet underclothing, a black t-shirt, black Capri's, black cloak, and new purple sandals and headband.

Kanashi would have gotten all black clothing, but was afraid he would never hear the end of it. Suiren was already teasing him for being 'emo' he didn't want to be called Goth too. Though, now that he thought about it, it was still quite a bit of black. Kanashi shook his head. It didn't matter. He was a Ninja! Ninja were supposed to wear black!

Regardless if he was going to be ostracized by his team for his wardrobe, he might as well enjoy his look. Before he set out, he grabbed one last thing, a large scroll, and slung it over his shoulder. Kujaku may have been kidding when she called him Mr. Over-prepared, but it had hit rather close to home. With one last look along his bare room, he put on the dreary attire and headed out to the designated spot.

As he approached the spot, a place just outside the Hidden Grass village, he saw that Kujaku and Akari were already there. It figured. After all, he always was the last one to arrive. He looked up ahead into the sky, using the sun's position and found that it was only 7. There was plenty of time to make it to the Hidden Leaf.

Unfortunately, his teammates didn't seem to see it that way.

"Where have you been? The sun's been up for an hour. We agreed to leave as soon as the sun was up! We've been waiting for an hour because Kujaku wouldn't leave without you. And..." Akari paused, staring at his brother for a few seconds before continuing.

"You too huh?"

Kanashi looked over at Kujaku, who also wore a different ensemble than normal. Rather than imitating Suiren, like she normally did, she wore a light green kimono, with the same Ninja-fishnet underclothing as himself. Her forehead protector was worn traditionally, unlike himself who wore it as a necklace.

Kanashi smiled at her. She looked good. The outfit worked with her long dark hair and dark eyes.

"Looking good, Kujaku."

Kujaku smiled back. " Yeah, you too, Kanashi."

Akari rolled his eyes, but smiled at the same time.

"Yeah yeah, you both look good. Now come on. We're already late thanks to Kanashi. I want to make it to the Leaf before the sun sets." said Akari

"What, you aren't going to chastise me any further?"said Kanashi.

Akari shook his head.

"No. It'd be a waste of time. Besides, you'd just ignore me anyway."

Kanashi smiled, "Hey, when you're right, you're right."

With that, the top team of the Hidden Grass village departed, navigating the sea of endless grassland that lay before them. After a few hours of silence, Kujaku turned to face Kanashi a puzzled look on her face.

"Hey Kanashi, mind if I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Well, I just got to thinking about how you always know so much about other villages, and I was just wondering how you learned so much. I mean, these are Ninja villages we're talking about. They don't give away information for free. In our line of work, information is more valuable than gold. I mean, heck, we aren't even given the location of the village! We show up at a designated meeting place, and are then 'led' to the village. At least, if what Suiren-Sensei said was right."

Akari stayed quiet, but at the same time, Kanashi could see that he too was curious. With a moment of silence, Kanashi let out a long sigh and looked back at Kujaku with a half-hearted smile.

"I have a pen-pal in every major village. They aren't shinobi though, so they give away information that a ninja would know not to give up. In addition, they aren't intercepted by the village's censorship committee because the address I gave them is set up at a nearby non-ninja village. I pay the owner of the address to mail me the letters, and mail my own. So, in that way, I'm able to have my own unwitting spy network."

For a moment, Akari and Kujaku were speechless. Then Kujaku spoke up, enthusiasm plastered on her face.

"Kanashi! That's genius! How come no one's ever thought of that before?"

Akari shook his head, a smile on his face.

"They probably have Kujaku. The thing is, there's a lot a civilian won't know. Things an enemy needs to know, like military strength and defense networks. It isn't worth it to censor all outgoing civilian mail when most of it will be useless to an invading force. Most of the effort goes to the ninja and ninja families' letters.

As it is, it's pretty smart, and useful for Genin taking their first Chunin exam. But other than that, it's a rather inefficient spy network."

Kanashi nodded in agreement. He knew this too. But his little ploy wasn't meant for an invasion. It was simply meant to help them get an edge in. And it had. In fact, Kanashi had acquired some very useful information regarding the Genin who had made it to the third stage of the exam, and who had graduated.

In other words, he knew who they would undoubtedly face if they made it to the final stage.

"Okay, okay, so it isn't a 'real' spy-network. Still, it's pretty cool. Anyway, Kanashi, I have another question."

Kanashi looked up, taken out of his thoughts.

"Sure thing. What is it?"

At this, Kujaku pointed to the large scroll on Kanashi's back.

"What's the scroll for?"

Akari piped in, apparently also curious.

"Yeah, I'll admit I'm a little baffled too. You're usually a lot more practical. So if you were storing something, you'd use something that wouldn't weigh you down as much. That thing looks like it weighs fifty pounds, at least."

"Heh, well you're wrong there, Akari. It only weighs _forty_ pounds. And as for what it's for... Well, that will just have to be a surprise." Kanashi winked at his teammates, a large grin on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

Kujaku rolled her eyes, but knew better than to pry. Kanashi would tell them, or show them, soon. He was like that. For all his love of solitude, he really loved sowing off. Not that he was a bad person. In fact, he was actually really honest, and thoughtful. Not to mention smart. But he was very reclusive and antisocial most of the time. He never actively tried to hang out with her or Akari.

And although they were brothers, Akari and Kanashi had never called each other brother for as long as she could remember.

And, in true Kanashi fashion, he remained quiet for the remainder of the trip. Akari talked to her several times, asking about her new kimono, and inquiring about any new techniques she may have learned. She had of course. But she felt that if Kanashi was going to hold secrets, then she should too. After all, it would be fun to see the look on their faces when they saw her perform her new jutsu.

She beamed, thinking about their shocked faces when they found out how powerful she had become.

"Hey guys." said Kanashi.

Kujaku snapped out of her reverie quickly.

"Yeah? What's up?" said Kujaku.

Kanashi stopped running abruptly, causing Kujaku and Akari to trip slightly from the sudden stop. Before Akari had a chance to ask why, Kujaku beat him to the punch.

"What the hell, Kanashi! We have a long way to go you know. We've only been running for a few hours."

"Yeah. I know."

"Then what's up? you need to go use the little ninja's room?"

Kanashi smirked, but didn't laugh. Instead he pointed to a small circle of grass, laying flat rather than growing like the surrounding grass, a few feet to his left. Kujaku's eyes widened. She hadn't noticed that before. It was obviously a pit-trap. A basic trap, that had many uses. However, the fact that this particular one was not covered up by a genjutsu indicated that it was not set up by ninja. Or at least, rather inept ones.

"So, bandits, then?" said Akari, mirroring Kujaku's thoughts.

"Perhaps. But if it was set up by bandits, then why set it up away from major pathways? Civilians are unlikely to come across this trap in the middle of a grassland." said Kanashi.

"So, why put a trap here?" said Kujaku.

"That's why I wanted to stop. I want to check out the area, see why bandits might put up a trap in the middle of nowhere." said Kanashi.

Akari let out a sigh, obviously thinking it a bad idea. Kujaku agreed with him. Who cared about some stupid bandits?

"Kanashi, I know you're curious, but honestly it just doesn't matter. We still have a few hours to go, and this would only delay us. There's no reason for us to go out looking for trouble. Besides, this trap isn't going to fool anyone. So no one is in danger. I say we leave it and go. How about you, Kujaku?"

Kujaku sighed. She didn't like taking sides when Kanashi and Akari disagreed. But, she felt the same way about the situation.

"I agree with Akari, Kanashi. I think we should just leave it be."

Kanashi stopped smirking, and instead let out a sigh. He was obviously disappointed, and did not bother to hide it.

"All right. But on our way back, I want to scout out the area. Okay?"

Akari nodded, and Kujaku agreed. She agreed mostly because she knew Kanashi wouldn't let it go unless she did. So, with that in agreement, the three took off again, running across the grasslands, towards the forests that contained the village Hidden in the Leaves.

The sun set once again, yielding to the cooling darkness. Kanashi smiled, glad for the night's coming. The sun had been quite harsh today, and he and his team had had to stop several times for water breaks to prevent dehydration, heat stroke and other awful maladies of the sun. They hadn't made it to the rendezvous point just yet, but they would in less than two minutes. Akari was talking to Kujaku again, trying to stave off boredom. Kanashi liked it when they included him, he never was very good at conversation.

However, that was his fault for not being able to let things go. Like that circle of flattened grass. In truth, they did not even know if it was a trap or not. It was just so strange. Why was it there in the middle of the grassland? It made no sense. He knew he would never really find out.

Kujaku and Akari had said that they would check it out upon there return, but he knew that by then many clues to its origin would have faded. The truth behind that strange circle would never be known, and that bugged him. Why was it there? How was it created? Who created it? Or what?

Kanashi shook his head, clearing his thoughts of a mystery he knew he would never be able to solve.

"What?" said Akari

Kanashi looked over, confused.

"What?"

Akari continued, Kujaku also looking at Kanashi, concerned.

"Whenever you think too much, you shake your head a lot. You've been shaking it for thirty minutes straight now. I was going to let it go, but it's starting to get annoying."

"I'm just concerned. When you think about something this much, it's usually important." said Kujaku.

Kanashi smiled, glad that they cared in their own way. Akari liked to be hostile most of the time, but he was actually a lot nicer than most people realized. His feeble attempt at annoyance was betrayed by the tone in his voice and the furrowing of his brow. And Kujaku, well Kujaku was just honest. Something Kanashi found very appealing in a person.

"Well, it isn't anything important this time. I was just thinking of that circle from earlier. Though..."

Kanashi scratched his chin.

"Earlier, I was thinking about the stronger contestants we'll most likely face. There's this Hyuuga prodigy, amazingly strong from what the letters say. Then there's the guy who beat him, a blonde kid with an orange jumpsuit-"

"An orange jumpsuit? What kind of ninja wears orange?" sneered Kujaku.

"A strong one, apparently. Go ahead, Kanashi, continue." said Akari.

Kanashi smirked, Akari always was the first to defend unique fashions.

"Well, there's this shadow-user. But I don't think we'll have to worry about him. From what the letters say of the fight, I think it is likely that he was probably promoted. His opponent was a Sand Kunoichi. Used wind, apparently. Then there is this Uchiha kid-"

"Woah woah woah! Uchiha? I thought they were all killed!" said Kujaku.

"Well, apparently not all of them, Kujaku. Apparently, this kid's the last one. The last Uchiha."

"Sounds ominous." said Akari.

"Yeah, it does. But then, there's his opponent. You see, the invasion actually happened right in the middle of the kid's fight. And you want to guess what his opponent was?"

"What his opponent was? You make it sound like he was fighting a thing instead of a person." said Akari.

"Well, close enough. His opponent was the one-tailed Jinchuuriki. A Sand ninja who could control sand like it was his one of his own limbs."

At that, Akari and Kujaku were silent. Both of them stunned at what they might have to face. Kanashi continued his trademark smirking, happy that he knew so much about his opponents already. Of course, he still knew relatively little. But regardless, he continued to inform his team of every possible opponent and their skills. Unfortunately, the knowledge was incomplete, but every little bit would help.


	4. Chapter 4

After he was able to pass on all the information he had, the rendezvous point came into view. Apparently, they weren't the first to arrive. Kanashi's eyes widened slightly at the large amount of Genin gathered. The entire place was a large clearing, open to the grasslands, and cradled in a forest. They were a few hundred feet away, and it was obvious that many of the camps had been there for weeks. Even from a distance, Kanashi could make out the headbands of the Hidden Waterfall, the Hidden Rain, the Hidden Star, and even the Hidden Moon. As they got closer, Kanashi saw that there wasn't a single ninja from the Hidden Sand. Kanashi wasn't too surprised, though. After all, it was only six months ago that the Sand participated in the assassination of the Hokage. They may have made amends, but he figured they weren't going to be quite as close as before.

As they reached the clearing, they were met by a single leaf Chunin, with a toothpick between his lips. He began to look at a clipboard as Kanashi and his team approached.

"Hey, glad you made it. You three are the only Hidden Grass Genin taking the exam this time around right? Kanashi, Akari, and...Kujaku?"

Kanashi answered in the affirmative.

"Good. My name is Genma, and we'll be heading out in the morning. You all were the last ones we were expecting, so if anyone else arrives, alert me immediately. There is to be no fighting, got it? We've already had a few troublemakers, if you stir up any more, you'll head right back to your village.

Also, every tent with a red flag belongs to a Leaf Chunin. Any problems, talk to them. My tent-"

Genma pointed to a tent closest to the forest.

"Is that one. Get some sleep. We leave as soon as the sun rises."

And with that, Genma left them, and headed to his tent. Most likely to get the sleep he recommended. Kanashi looked about, and other than a few brooding types, the others were heading to bed too.

Akari was the first to speak.

"Well, crap. I didn't bring a tent. I thought we'd make it to the Leaf before we needed to sleep."

"Yeah, same here." said Kujaku.

At once, the both of them looked over at Kanashi. However, Kanashi just looked back with a blank stare.

"Uh, I thought you guys would bring your own. I've only got one tent, and it really isn't big enough for all of us..."

Kanashi sighed, annoyed with the situation. He supposed out of the three of them, he would be best suited to staying up. And if for some reason, he couldn't make the trip tomorrow, then Akari could always carry him. Or Kujaku could. Either one was stronger than he was anyway.

"You know what? Here." Kanashi took out a scroll from his pocket and threw it to Kujaku.

She caught it easily, and opened it up, revealing the word 'Tent' on it.

"You two go ahead and use it. I'm going to stay up. My technique makes me the best candidate to stay up anyway."

Akari smiled, glad for the news. Often times he would have to stay up, due to him having the most stamina of the group. Kujaku quickly summoned the tent in question, and true to Kanashi's word, it was quite small. Kanashi was smaller than Kujaku and Akari, and as such, it would be quite a feat for the both of them to fit. Of course, Kujaku didn't really mind. After five years, a lot of her reservations had vanished around the two.

Kanashi bid his team farewell as he headed off into the night, seeing if he might find someone to talk to. Many of the ninja had already gone to bed, but he knew that many teams would keep at least one member up in case another team tried to cheat by taking out some competition early. Kanashi doubted that it was necessary. As he looked around the camp, he could see several Leaf Chunin peering from the shadows, watching over the large number of Genin. He was pretty sure they could deal with any troublemakers.

Kanashi looked back to see if Kujaku and Akari were finished with the tent. To his pleasant surprise, they were, and although the tent was a little lumpy from holding two people, it looked like they were going to sleep relatively well. In spite of his fatigue, Kanashi had to smile.

He was really glad he got Kujaku and Akari as teammates. There was a time when he nearly got Shiore as a teammate. He was glad that Kujaku beat him out. Shiore had been a vile person, always doing the worst things to get ahead. Kanashi shook his head. He shouldn't think of the dead that way. Although, it made him slightly nervous, now that he had.

Shiore had died in these exams last time around. He and Kujaku were very similar in strength. What if Kujaku met her end here too? Kanashi shook his head once more, and turned to walk into the forest. He needed to clear his head, and he'd rather do that in solitude. After all, it wouldn't do to have his abilities revealed to the Leaf ninja just yet.

After a few minutes of walking Kanashi found himself atop a cliff, just outside the perimeter of trees. After a brief look around to see if he was alone, Kanashi took off the scroll from his back and collapsed, exhausted from the day's journey. He had below average stamina for a ninja, but he did his best to keep up. He had found out long ago that his habit of thinking over things kept his fatigue at bay, but as soon as he stopped thinking... Well, it all came flooding into him.

As he looked up into the dark night, he couldn't help but admire the beauty of the moon and stars. This far out into the wilderness, and there was no artificial light to obscure their beauty. Kanashi always had preferred the darkness of night to the blinding light of day. When he was younger, he sometimes got teased for his 'love of the dark.' The memories actually made him laugh a bit. One of the more ridiculous rumors was that he was a chakra-stealing vampire. It didn't last long, thankfully, but it was one of his favorites.

After all, it was _almost_ true. With a deep sigh, Kanashi began to weave the familiar signs of his technique.

Tiger-Rooster-Dog-Snake-Horse

Suddenly, a black aura engulfed his hands. Kanashi stretched out his hands between the blades of grass, and inhaled deeply.

"Dark Release: Passive Absorption Technique"

Suddenly, the grass around Kanashi began to die. First around his hands, and then around his whole body. Even the earth began to turn sandy, many of its nutrients destroyed by Kanashi's technique. Kanashi was a unique ninja, with a rare ability that was barely seen among the ninja of the five great villages, let alone one of the lesser ones. Kanashi was a wielder of the Dark Release. A powerful bloodline limit that allowed one to absorb chakra and redirect it in combat. There were several techniques made to copy the Dark Release's amazing power, but they all fell short of the real thing. Currently, Kanashi was using one of his basic techniques to absorb the physical energy from the area surrounding him. It kept him from feeling fatigue, and allowed him to go on for days without sustenance.

His team was the greatest of the Hidden Grass's Genin for this reason. They had been able to tackle much more powerful shinobi due to his gift, and the gifts of Kujaku and Akari. They were a first among the Grass. An entire team, who wielded bloodlines. Even Suiren had one, though it was a weaker, lesser known one. It was no accident either. They had been found in several outlying village orphanages by scouting Grass ninja. When it was confirmed that they did indeed have bloodline limits, they were taken, adopted, and instructed. They had kept it a secret among their peers due to information leaks. The village leader had asked them to train in other means while in the open, and practice their gifts in secret. For a long time, the Grass had been seen as irrelevant. With Team Suiren, that was supposed to change. The goal was to become like the Hidden Waterfall. Although the village itself was a minor one, its strength nearly rivaled the great five.

The Grass sought to do the same.

That's why it was imperative for Kujaku to beat out Shiore for the third spot in their team. Even now, Kanashi wondered if the village elders had fudged Kujaku's grades just a bit. Though, even if they had, Kanashi believed that at least now, Kujaku was superior to Shiore. Well, would be, if he was still alive.

Kanashi rubbed his eyes, and canceled his technique. This whole situation was making him tense. He was glad that there were no Sand ninja. After all, that meant no Jinchuuriki. But he had a feeling that even without the red-haired ninja of his letters, this exam would be dangerous. He put on a good face in front of Kujaku and Akari, but the truth was, he was really quite scared. Thinking about a random circle in the middle of nowhere just helped him keep his mind away from the fates of the previous Grass Genin.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and embraced the coolness of night. However, he was interrupted by a crackling of the grass behind him. He shot up quickly, and brought out three shuriken from the holster on his hip, ready to fly.

Across from him was a girl who looked to be around his age, with mint green hair, and orange eyes. She was impassive, as though she didn't care that she had been noticed. She wore a white top, arm warmers, and skirt. Underneath, she wore fishnet underclothing like Kanashi. On her arm was a Hidden Waterfall forehead protector.


	5. Chapter 5

After a tense moment or two, she spoke.

"What are you doing out here?"

Kanashi lifted an eyebrow, "I could ask you the same. Why were you sneaking up on me?"

At this, the girl rose her own eyebrow. " I wasn't. I've been coming to this spot ever since my team got here. We were one of the first to arrive. We've been waiting for the other teams to show up for about a week now."

She paused then, and looked down at Kanashi's forehead protector which still hung around his neck.

"The Hidden Grass, huh? You must have showed up recently. None of you were here this morning. Now, answer my question. Why are you here, and not in the clearing?"

Kanashi relaxed slightly. He doubted this was an ambush. He was no sensor type, but even so, he thought he would have been able to sense any nearby chakra of Genin-level Ninja.

Kanashi put away his shuriken and smiled.

"We were unaware of the situation and only one of us brought a tent. Two of us were able to fit inside, and I was not one of the two. That's pretty much it."

The girl sighed, obviously disappointed in some way. She began to walk closer, into the moonlight and closer to Kanashi.

"So, you're going to be here all night?"

Kanashi nodded. "Afraid so."

She cursed, obviously displeased with the situation. She gave Kanashi a nasty scowl, and turned around, intent on going elsewhere.

Kanashi, was confused, to say the least. He held out an arm in protest.

"Wait! We can share the spot! I don't mind, you know."

The girl looked over her shoulder, the same scowl still on her face.

"Yeah, well I do."

Kanashi's head was filled with questions. Who was this girl? Why was she so aggressive? And why wasn't she with _her_ teammates? This spot was rather far from the campsite, after all.

He walked behind her, intent on asking. After all, it was quite a few hours until morning, and he needed to keep himself awake. What better way than learning about a fellow contestant? Well, beside the Passive Absorption technique that is.

"Stop following me." said the girl, still obviously irritated.

"Tell me your name, and I might consider it."

She turned abruptly on her heel, and stared Kanashi down. It was a very intense stare, filled with the intent to kill. Kanashi, however, simply smiled back, either oblivious or immune to it.

"Come on, why are you so hostile? I'm just trying to be friendly." Kanashi said, a smile on his face.

"No, you're trying to scope out the competition. Now unless you really want to test that prohibition on fighting, I suggest you leave. I'm losing my patience."

Kanashi's smile slowly slid off his face. His own face soon came to match the situation, serious, with a hint of disappointment. Kanashi had hoped to make friends during this event. Suiren-Sensei had been adamant about how only the Hidden Grass's allies would be in attendance, and that they should do their best to get on good terms with their opponents. After all, in the end, they would undoubtedly work together in the future, no matter what happened.

But this girl...

"You know, the Grass and Waterfall are allies. Even if we might face each other in this ridiculous competition, in the end, we will work together sometime in our careers. It is inevitable. Our interactions during these Chunin exams will lay the foundation of a new generation of Grass and Waterfall."

The girl looked less irritated as Kanashi spoke. She obviously was not expecting the conversation to change moods quite this quickly.

"I know, that currently, we are hostile forces. But the truth is, it is only an artificial hostility. We both know that people die in these things, that's a sad truth we must bear. But those who kill and die in this mock-war are like you, convinced that it has to be that way. But it _doesn't_. At the end of this thing, we can be more than allies..."

Kanashi smiled, and held out his hand.

"We can be friends."

There was a long silence then, with only the wind to break it. Overhead, the clouds parted, allowing moonlight to peer between the branches of the trees.

Finally, the girl stepped forward, and shook Kanashi's hand.

"You're... different, than other humans I've met." said the girl.

Kanashi rose an eyebrow, slightly confused.

"The way you talk, it sounds like you don't consider yourself human."

The girl didn't respond.

"Well, then. Now that we're friends, would you like to tell me your name?" said Kanashi.

She nodded.

"My name is Fuu. And just in case you get the wrong idea, we aren't friends. I've just decided that you aren't an immediate threat."

Kanashi just shook his head, though he was still smiling.

"I suppose that's good enough for now."

Fuu nodded, seemingly agreeing.

"So, Grass Ninja, what's your name?"

Kanashi blinked in sudden realization. He had forgotten to introduce himself. He suddenly felt quite rude. It was impolite to ask for someone else's name without revealing your own. Kanashi sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed.

"Sorry about that. My name is Kanashi."

"That's an odd name." said Fuu

Kanashi gave a shrug. "Yeah, well I'm an odd person."

Fuu nodded her head in approval. "Yes, you are."

Fuu walked past Kanashi, toward the cliff that they had left just moments ago. Kanashi was momentarily confused, not entirely sure what to do. She tilted her head back at him, and rose an eyebrow.

"Well? You said we could share that spot."

"Heh, so I did."


	6. Chapter 6

The night sky was clear of clouds, allowing the stars and moon to shine down on the plains. Suiren sped past at an impressive speed, not bothering to look up at the beauty above her. She was late, and was paying for it dearly. Her legs burned, her lungs burned, but she did not stop. She did not stop until she came across the familiar circle imprint. The grass laid flat, a curiosity in the sea of grass. Suiren knew that her students had passed by here, sensing their chakra, however faint. Most likely Kanashi had stopped to see why the circle existed. She felt a small amount of pride at them. Always trying to discover the truth of the situation. But they wouldn't have found anything here. As quickly as her pride came, it left. Leaving her once again, emotionless.

As she entered the circle, the once cloudless night seemed destroyed by a single cloud. That single cloud blocked the moon, bathing her in darkness. Suiren was a ninja in her early thirties, with teal hair and a plain face. Her eyes, normally green, shone red in the dark. On her forehead glowed a red symbol, a red eye with an inner circle resembling the pupil, with four lines stemming from the upper line and two thicker lines tapering off from the side.

She stepped into the circle. As she did so, it began to glow with the same red light. Her hands went through a series of seals. When she was done, the circle flashed a bright blue. When the light vanished, so had Suiren.

Many miles away, within a dark cave, a similar circle carved in stone flashed a bright blue, Suiren stood there when the light died down. She stepped out of the circle, and approached four robed figures.

"Ah, it seems she's made it after all. I was worrying about her, Master. She's late."

The smallest robed figure, who wasn't even five foot six, pulled down his hood, revealing a head full of white hair, and natural red eyes. His lower face was covered in bandages, as were his hands.

"Yes, she must have had some trouble on the way. No matter, she's here now, and that's all that counts. But I knew she would come eventually Ichi. You must learn to have faith in my abilities. No one has ever broken out of my Puppet curse before, and no one ever will."

The robed ninja that had been speaking removed his own hood, revealing a tall man with a long pointed chin and a large rectangular tattoo on his forehead. The other two did the same, revealing another man that greatly resembled the first, save his forehead had three such tattoos. The last figure was a woman with long brown hair, and two such tattoos on her left cheek.

Ichi, the man with only one tattoo, spoke.

"Of course Master! I never doubted you. I simply worried that she might have been caught leaving the village."

The woman spoke up this time, a mocking tone in her voice.

"Ichi, you idiot, Lord Hiruko knows what he's doing! The Leaf is hosting the Chunin exams, she's expected to be leaving the village. Lord Hiruko even managed to get her a fake little side mission before meeting up with her students. He's planned for everything. If you had been paying attention, you'd already know all this."

The small man, Hiruko, simply waved a hand at them, signaling for them to be quiet.

"While I appreciate the enthusiasm Ichi, Nii, I'd rather it be toward our goals. The Hidden Grass has been very active lately. Luckily for me, they aren't all that difficult to get information out of, at least, not for someone like me.

"As it turns out, the village has managed to acquire an entire team of bloodline wielders, the leader of which is this lovely lady in front of us. For my purposes, it is imperative we capture them. After all, a fruit this sweet deserves to be plucked."

The third man spoke, "Lord Hiruko, why didn't we just take them when they were on their way to the Leaf? They were unguarded, and it is unlikely that the Leaf would have raised an alarm. It would have given us ample time. Not to mention your new Instant Transport technique is already set up in the Sea of Grass."

Hiruko chuckled a bit to himself before replying. His followers held straight faces, not understanding why their leader found the question funny.

"Oh my dear, San, I had considered that possibility. I had indeed. But the truth is, this would have been a terrible decision. You see, those Genin are each outfitted with a seal that, when activated, seals away their bloodlines even in death. The Grass is determined to become as great a ninja village as the main five, and as such has developed some very impressive counter measures. As much as I trust in your capabilities to take them quickly, I am not willing to risk it. Hence our guest.

"She'll be letting the three of you enter this year's Chunin exam as recently qualified Grass Genin. Try as I might, I was unable to get your names on the Hidden Leaf's roster, they're quite cautious since Orochimaru's little stunt. She'll be escorting you all to the Leaf, vouching for you. As you do, I want you to befriend the three students. Make sure they don't die. When the time is right, I'll tell you when to incapacitate them through Suiren here. It'll be so quick, they won't have time to activate those seals."

"I do not doubt your plans, Lord Hiruko," said Nii. "But won't the Jounin be able to pierce through a transformation technique? That is how we would appear to be recently qualified Genin correct?"

Hiruko passed by Suiren, who stared blankly ahead, unaware of her part in what would soon be the death of her students.

"Yes, I had considered that. Fortunately, and Unfortunately, I have found a technique that will allow you three to fool even the Jounin. What I am about to ask of you is... rather extreme. But I think you of all people understand that the body must sometimes be modified for optimal use."

The three of them nodded. Though none of them knew what their master specifically required, they would endure it regardless. Ichi stepped forward, seemingly eager to prove that his earlier doubts did not mean he questioned his leader.

"Master, please allow me to be the first you use! I know you must be speaking of some new technique. You gave nearly the exact same speech when you used the Chimera technique on us! I know in my heart, that this must be necessary or you would not ask it of us!"

"Don't be so formal, Ichi. It's awkward. But he is right, Lord Hiruko. I too am willing to do what is necessary." said Nii.

Hiruko turned back to them, smiling under the bandages that covered his mouth.

"I'm glad to hear it. But I should warn you, this technique, is permanent. You won't be able to change your bodies back to normal."

Hiruko looked intently at his followers. They only nodded solemnly. He was lucky, he knew, to have such willing subordinates. He may not have had the same extensive resources as Orochimaru, but that hardly mattered. Quality beat quantity every time, and he'd be willing to bet that his subordinates could deal with any of Orochimaru's lackeys. Well, maybe not that medic that was always skulking about. But definitely any of the others.

With a nod to his disciples to let them know they were appreciated, he began a furious dance with his arms, using signs and seals not of the standard variety. His followers stared at him, wide-eyed. None of them had ever seen anything like it. His body began to glow as he continued. Ribbons of light shot forth from various places on his body and enveloped his three students.

They briefly struggled, mostly out of reflex, before calming down. As his hands formed the final seal, he shouted the technique' name.

"Shadow Mirror Body Modification Art!"

At his voice, the ribbons cut off and continued onward toward his pupils who were now covered in ribbons of light. However that lasted but a moment. The light died down, and in the place of his students, who before were ninja in their late twenties, were children coming to their first stages of adulthood. He hadn't reverted them to extremely young ages, since he wanted them to befriend the three Genin. But they were around the right age to graduate from a minor village's academy.

Ichi and San gawked at each other, as each had been reverted to their fourteen year old selves. Their tattoos were gone, and their outfits, once tight leather, had been discarded for simple shirts and pants both of which were a light green.

Nii looked down at herself, her once womanly figure reverted to that of a young budding girl. Her outfit had also been modified to something more seemly, a simple shirt and Capri's, with a large sash around her midsection. Her tattoos were also gone. It was quite obvious that she was displeased.

"Lord Hiruko, might I ask what that technique was? I've never seen signs like that before." said Nii

Hiruko nodded, glad that her distaste did not taint her speech. He'd hate to have to discipline her right before a mission. It wouldn't do to have your soldiers sore at the beginning.

"I modified it from a technique I found in the Land of Demons, amongst their elite guard. It actually isn't a ninjutsu in the traditional sense. Which is part of the reason it will go undetected. It can't be reversed, or undone. Not by you or your enemies, so in that, you are lucky. Now we must hurry, dawn is approaching and the Leaf will be leaving its little camp soon. I want you all to make it their with Suiren before they leave. Now remember, I want you three to play nice. Befriend the other three Genin and make sure they trust you. It will make it much easier to incapacitate them when the time comes. I have little information on them at the moment, but I will be learning while you three go about your mission.

"If you need anything, speak to Suiren. She and I are mentally linked, and I will be able to take over her body to speak to you. However, I'd rather you deal with anything less than mission-threatening yourselves. Is that understood?"

They nodded their heads in agreement.

Hiruko smiled again. Everything was going according to plan. Soon, much sooner than even he had thought possible, he would be the ultimate being. He would attain unimaginable power, and immortality in one fell swoop. So many others plotted and planned about him and they didn't even know he existed.

It was best that way, he mused. They ignored the small things, ninja who hadn't been seen in thirty years probably weren't high on their lists. The Minor villages did not seem to be on their lists also. It was their loss of course. Some of the most interesting ninja came from the smaller villages. His own disciples had come from a small village, in fact.

He let his thoughts return to the present.

"Now, go. Dawn approaches, and you'll need all the time you can get."

With that Suiren went through a series of hand seals as she walked back into the circle. Ichi, Nii, and San were right behind her, each taking a Grass Forehead protector from Hiruko as they did so. With a flash of blue light, they were gone, leaving behind only a very satisfied missing-nin.


	7. Chapter 7

Kujaku awoke to the uncomfortable feeling of drool on her cheek. She shot up, disgusted. Unfortunately that was a poor decision. The tent she was in was small, only meant for one person. And that person was smaller than both she and her partner. As such, her head ripped through the fabric, allowing her to see that others were already waking. She ducked her head back in quickly, not wanting to make a scene.

Akari snored softly beside her, curled into the fetal position. She thought it rather funny, such a big guy like Akari sleeping like that. Luckily, it was her own drool that had woke her up. Though honestly, that wasn't much better. With a gentle tap, Akari awoke. Neither of them had taken off their clothes from the previous day, and so were ready to leave as soon as possible.

As she and Akari exited the tent, she caught the sun just beginning to peak over the trees. They'd be leaving any second now. Where was Kanashi? Try as she might, she wasn't able to make out Kanashi from the mass of people getting ready for the journey.

She turned to Akari intending to ask him where he thought Kanashi might be. Akari had left her side however and was busy sealing the tent back into the scroll. As he finished, Kujaku noticed that the Leaf overseers had also packed away their tents. They'd leave at any moment. She looked harder this time, surveying the trees and tried to discover if any genjutsu was being used in the vicinity. That was something Kanashi would do.

Still, there was no sign of him. She was beginning to get frustrated. She wouldn't leave him behind, but that did not mean that she would be happy about it. As she considered the considerable time they might lose, Akari approached. He gave a out a long breath of exasperation.

"Look I know what you're thinking, and you don't have to worry. Kanashi can take care of himself, and he knows we're leaving at dawn. So if he isn't in the immediate vicinity, he's most likely still close enough to get here in time."

Akari paused, looking over Kujaku's shoulder.

Kujaku followed his line of sight and was greeted by quite the surprise.

Emerging from the woods was a small dark cloaked figure with his headband tied around his neck. That would be Kanashi. By his side was a white-clad Kunoichi she had never seen before. And they were laughing. Kujaku stifled a giggle. It was going to be fun hearing what he did with a foreign ninja in the cover of night...alone.

They were... laughing, it looked like. Then they shook hands and the Kunoichi headed over to two other ninja. Most likely her team. Kanashi headed over quickly, apparently full of energy and not in the least bit tired from his sleepless night.

He approached Kujaku and Akari with a smirk, his version of a smile.

"Hey guys! Sleep well?"

Akari responded before Kujaku could think up a clever way to tease Kanashi.

"Yes, we did. So tell us, who was your new friend? You two seemed rather friendly for not knowing each other yesterday."

"Yeah! So tell us, how do two ninja get so friendly so quickly in the cover of night?"

Kanashi just kept his smirk, not fazed at Kujaku's not so subtle jab.

"You'd be surprised how well people can get along when they spend eight hours talking. Though, to be honest she didn't share much of her personal life. Mostly opinions, jokes, and idle chat. Though I learned more than she probably realized."

Akari rose an eyebrow.

"So, did you just befriend her to learn about the competition? What's her name anyway? You going to let us in on what you've learned?"

Her moment stifled, Kujaku just resigned herself to the fact that Kanashi wasn't very easy to make uncomfortable. That and Akari didn't seem to appreciate prime opportunities. So, with her chance used up she resigned herself to hear Kanashi out.


	8. Chapter 8

Kanashi almost laughed at Kujaku's attempt at embarrassment. She always was trying to get him to break his cool. The only person who was ever able to really make him lose his composure was Akari. And Akari knew when and where to do it. Now wasn't the time. Akari was, however, curious about his new acquaintance.

"I didn't befriend her to learn about the competition. I befriended her to eliminate it."

Kujaku looked appalled.

"You plan on killing her?!"

Akari looked worried, but he kept silent, waiting for Kanashi to continue.

"What? No, of course not. I meant that by having a friend amongst the competition, we eliminate one more possible murderer. I don't plan to end up like Shiore and his gang."

The words hung over the group for a few seconds, draining the small amount of cheer Kujaku had gathered. Kanashi noticed that Akari too seemed disturbed by his comment. It seemed that neither of them had thought about the inherit danger of the Chunin exams. Or, if they had, had pushed it out of their thoughts for the days ahead.

Kanashi wasn't very worried though. Fuu was a good person, and he had done right by getting to know her. He hadn't learned much besides the fact that she was fond of the color orange, various grilled meats, and disliked people as a general rule. That and she was easy to make laugh. He really wasn't a very funny guy, but she laughed at every cornball joke he made.

Which made him wonder why she hated people so much. The way she had spoken of her teammates was rather...uncomfortable.

He thought about sharing the trivial amount of information he knew on her, but in the end, it really was trivial.

"Hey Kanashi."

Kanashi snapped out of his thoughts at Akari's words.

"Yeah."

"Who's that with Suiren Sensei?"

Kanashi and Kujaku followed Akari's pointed finger and found a figure running toward them, who by the dress and height, was obviously Suiren. However, right behind her were three shorter figures. She wasn't distressed, or going at top speed. So they weren't enemy ninja.

Suddenly Kanashi heard a loud siren behind him. A voice went up, obviously enhanced by a megaphone. He recognized it as the ninja Genma's.

"Alright everyone. You have one minute. We'll be leaving with or without you. So hurry up and take care of any business you have. Whether that be packing your tent or emptying your bladder. Remember, one minute!"

Akari looked them all over.

"I think we're ready to go. So why don't we go greet Suiren Sensei? I'm curious as to who those ninja are."

"I'm more concerned with her mission. I knew she was going to catch up to us, but I didn't think it'd be the next day."

Kanashi agreed with Kujaku's thoughts, Akari's too if he thought about it. He followed the two as they made their way to the edge of the clearing. In no time at all, Suiren had made it to them. She smiled and gave a wave, a gesture mirrored by Kujaku while he and Akari simply held their hands up in a greeting gesture.

"Suiren Sensei! I'm so glad you made it! but what about your mission? Did you finish it already? I mean, that was really quick. We didn't expect you to catch up so soon!" said Kujaku.

Akari nodded, then added, "And who are those three behind you? I've never seen them before."

Kanashi kept silent, and instead observed the three in question. They wore Grass forehead protectors, and appeared to be fourteen at most, twelve at the least. It was difficult to tell. Either way, he wouldn't have known who they were since he didn't really keep track of the younger generation. Akari had, however. In fact he was friends with quite a bit of them. it would be odd that he didn't know who they were.

At least, Kanashi assumed they were Grass Genin. They might have been Chunin, and simply looked really young. He'd heard about that sort of thing before. Though, he thought it unlikely. The boys wore simple green shirts and pants. They were difficult to tell apart, and Kanashi could only assume they were twins. They had pointy chins and noses and were taller than him, despite looking younger.

The girl had brown hair down to her waist and wore a looser green shirt with green Capri's and a white sash around her midsection. All three of them wore their forehead protectors in the traditional fashion.

Suiren cleared her throat before speaking.

"Sorry guys. Feeling a bit under the weather. Anyway, my mission was a simple scouting. They needed it done fast so that's why they sent me instead of a Genin. Turns out there was nothing to worry about. Just a false alarm.

"These three, are Ichi, Nii, and San. They'll be participating in the Chunin exams with you. And don't ask me why I didn't tell you earlier. Truth is the village sprung this on me too. I was told that they're prodigies and we're supposed to make sure they show off for the Grass."

Akari narrowed his eyes.

"Really? Then where's their Sensei? Why'd they come with you?"

This question just made Suiren smile rather largely.

"Because, the village is so sure you three will become Chunin that they've already reassigned me to be their Sensei."

Kanashi blanched at that. What on earth? That made no sense at all. It was completely against protocol! Not to mention it was a huge gamble. Sure He, Kujaku and Akari could take care of themselves, but with Suiren supervising this new team, well... what would happen if someone more competent decided to take out the competition?

Kujaku even looked stunned, and she usually enjoyed having confidence put in her. Akari just looked annoyed. But Kanashi could tell by his grunting that he was also a bit overwhelmed.

"Suiren," said Kanashi, dropping the Sensei since, apparently, she wasn't anymore.

"Why now? Why right before the Chunin exams? This breaks so many protocols I'm tempted to write the village back and demand an answer. We have to have a leader until our official promotion, that's in the Grass's code of conduct. Stealing you away to watch over a new team, no matter how accomplished, is just... a huge slap in the face to the rules!"

Kanashi heard one of the boys stifle a snicker.

"Geez, anyone else would be flattered that the village thought so much of them, but you just keep blabbing on about rules. Sheesh, what's wrong with you? Don't have any confidence in yourself?"

Kanashi didn't know which name belonged to the boy who said that, but he vowed to learn it, and memorize it. He did not like this brat.

"Listen you little snot! The rules are everything! Rules keep order, rules are what make ninja what they are! They aren't to be discarded or mocked! It doesn't matter how confident I am or what my abilities are, I am not above the rules! No one is!"

Kujaku looked on in silent amazement, apparently shocked that he had lost his cool so easily. Akari wasn't shocked, but he did look as though he hadn't expected the outburst to be quite so bad. Suiren just looked on bored, knowing that Kanashi would lose his temper to anyone who insulted, or anyone that he perceived had insulted, the rules.


	9. Chapter 9

Akari spoke up before Kanashi and the child killed each other. If looks could kill, as the saying goes.

"While I might not have said it quite like that, He's right San. We follow the rules even if we sometimes wish we didn't have to."

Kanashi filed away that this particular one was San for later. He looked to the boy's brother, and he assumed sister. It seemed rather silly that they were named One, Two and Three. Still, he had heard worse names.

"Now Akari, Kanashi, don't worry about it okay? I assure you the village is correct on these matters. Even if they are a bit unorthodox. And besides, they aren't truly breaking the rules. The code of conduct states that the village leader can alter the rules if it will lead to the benefit of the village, provided he seek approval from his advisors and the civilian court." said Suiren.

"Did he?" said Kanashi, still mad at the whole situation.

Suiren simply smiled and produced a scroll, sealed with the official stamp of the Grass's leader. Immediately Kanashi calmed down, and was actually a bit mad at himself for getting so worked up.

"Now I've got to go give this to whoever's in charge. in the mean time why don't you all try to get to know each other? I think you might have gotten off on the wrong foot."

Suiren made a move to leave, before Akari stopped her and pointed at Genma, explaining that he most likely was the one she should talk to.

Kanashi gave out a sigh, if he was going to get along with these guys he'd have to apologize for calling out San for the brat he was.

"Sorry for losing my cool, San. I get a little sensitive sometimes."

San looked like he was about to retort, but he was elbowed by Nii before he could. San looked annoyed, but he didn't chastise Nii. Instead he simply acknowledged the apology and made a half-hearted one of his own.

Before any of them could continue the conversation, a second siren was heard, signaling that the company was heading out. Suddenly the entire clearing was a flurry of activity as Genin and their Jounin leaders followed after the Leaf Overseers. The clearing was emptying fast.

"Looks like we'll have to get to know each other on the move. C'mon guys, let's go." said Akari.

Akari and Kujaku took off with Kanashi right behind them. Behind him came Ichi, Nii, and San. San worked his way up to Kujaku, attempting conversation. Ichi did the same with Akari, and Nii stayed behind with Kanashi. Kanashi stayed silent for the first few minutes, just listening to the others conversations. Nii did the same, for the first few minutes. The surroundings were a bland mix of forests and clearings that Kanashi didn't really care to examine. He'd noticed that they were going in odd patterns, attempting to make it more difficult for the outsiders to know where the Hidden Leaf villages exact location was. After about an hour Nii broke the silence.

"Listen, I'm sorry about San. He can be a little hot-headed at times. He has this thing against people with no confidence."

Kanashi gave a snort, "I _have_ confidence! It's just, well I have a thing for people who disregard the rules. But, well I guess we both acted rashly. And there's no need to apologize for him, he did it himself."

Nii gave him a smirk, a lot like his own.

"Yeah, but we both know neither of you meant it. look I'm just trying to keep us all on a friendly note. Heaven knows, we'll all need it."

Kanashi looked at her curious. She and he seemed to have the same sentiments.

"So, what do you know about this whole situation, Nii? Why didn't you guys have your own Sensei before?"

Nii just shrugged her shoulders.

"Not really. We just got qualified for the Chunin exams, actually. Our Sensei was reassigned and then we were given to Suiren Sensei. We had no idea she was already part of a team. Honestly I think they really do expect a lot from you three. I kept hearing things like, 'We've created the perfect instrument to declare our glory.' or some crap like that. Apparently you guys are really well thought of."

Kanashi was surprised to hear that. He had never heard anything like that being spoken by the village leader, or his advisors. His team's uniqueness was to remain secret. Not even the Civilian Court knew about it. This whole thing was fishy, but well he had seen the document. He shook his head, trying to get it out of his mind. He was making something out of nothing, just like that weird circle in the Sea of Grass.

"So Nii, how old are you anyway?" said Kanashi.

Nii waited a few seconds before answering. Kanashi wasn't sure why, but Akari often did the same thing. Maybe it was because they thought it made them sound cooler if they made you wait for an answer.

"I'm fourteen. Ichi and Nii are also fourteen."

Kanashi didn't bother hiding his surprise. He had guessed around twelve to fourteen for all of them, but he had honestly expected twelve rather than fourteen.

"Huh, I thought you guys were younger. I guess it was kind of silly for me to call San a 'Little Snot' huh?"

Nii smiled, amused.

"Yeah, I thought that was weird. Especially since you're our same age."

"Actually I'm sixteen. I just look younger than I am."

Nii rose her eyebrows in mild surprise.

"Really? So what about Akari? He's not eighteen?"

Kanashi shook his head, smirking while he did so. He was already forgetting the bad impression he had with them.

"Akari and Kujaku are fifteen. Akari and I are brothers, but we get mistaken as the older when we're the younger and vice versa. Akari is older than he looks, and taller than most people his age. While I'm shorter and look younger than people my age. It used to bother me when I was younger, but I don't mind it so much anymore."

Nii nodded, and just like that, the conversation died down. Kanashi didn't bother trying to keep it going. He wasn't really sure what they'd talk about. Even Kujaku and Akari were done talking to the other two. So the six carried on in silence, following the large group to the Hidden Leaf. After another hour, Suiren met up with them, missing the scroll. No doubt she had given it to Genma. Kanashi had wanted to ask why it had taken so long, but just couldn't bring up the energy. His Passive Absorption Technique wasn't as filling as a restful night and a good breakfast. He tried to discreetly reactivate it, to take in the chakra of the grass underfoot, but every time he tried Nii seemed to be watching him out of the corner of her eye. Eventually he just stopped. She may have been a fellow Grass ninja, but even teams from the same village would have to compete against each other.

Thirty more minutes in, and they had found themselves out of the forest and onto a dirt road. The procession had stopped running and was now taking its time. He was a little perplexed at the road. Wasn't the whole point of this to keep them from knowing the Hidden Leaf's exact location? Why did it have a road that went straight to it? Kanashi shook his head again. He was just filling his head up with useless distractions. Maybe he had simply received faulty information. He might not know exactly where the Hidden Leaf was located, but that didn't mean that the higher ups didn't know where it was.

The thoughts vanished from his mind when he saw what was before them. The Hidden Village of the Leaves' Gates, and a huge wall surrounding it. Suddenly, he began to think that the village didn't need secrecy. It's power alone would deter any who might try to destroy it. But as soon as those thoughts entered into his head, he remembered what had happened just six months ago. It had been attacked, and its walls hadn't helped it all that much.

What awaited them next was a very long line, in which the different teams registered with the small office right inside the gates.


	10. Chapter 10

"Ugh, I hate lines. Why do they only have one registering center? Shouldn't they be prepared for this sort of thing?"

Kanashi turned his head at the familiar voice, not expecting Fuu to seek him out. She had a scowl on her face, but he could tell she wasn't really all that upset. Behind her were her two teammates. From the way Fuu had described them, Kanashi had expected them to be slovenly and homely. However, that was far from the truth. They were both rather well kept, and both were rather good-looking. Not as handsome as himself of course, but they weren't bad.

"Hey Fuu, I didn't expect you to come by and chat. I thought I'd have to go find you." said Kanashi, still keeping his attention more on her teammates than Fuu.

She dropped the scowl and held up a hand, apparently wanting a high five. He complied, happy that she seemed to have gotten over her sour attitude. Akari and Kujaku, along with the newly arrived Grass Genin, came over to meet Fuu and her team. Fuu was far more curt with the rest of them, but her teammates seemed friendly with everyone. Though they did their best to not attract Fuu's attention.

Their names were Hoki and Shibuki. Hoki had short curly brown hair, brown eyes, and wore a grey shirt and shorts. Over the shirt was a dark blue jacket, and he wore his Waterfall Headband in the traditional fashion. Shibuki also had dark brown hair, though his was long and straight, reaching his waist. His Headband, although worn the same as Hoki's, had longer pieces of cloth used to make it. As such, the cloth fluttered alongside his hair. He had black eyes and wore grey pants and a mint green shirt.

"So, Kanashi, who are those other Grass Ninja? I thought it was just your team taking the exam."

Kanashi ceased his observation of Fuu's companions and directed his attention to her. He gave her a smirk, happy she had warmed up to him so soon. He usually had that effect on people. He could get along with anyone. Well, anyone who didn't blatantly disrespect the rules, that is.

"Yeah, it was a bit of a surprise to us as well. Our village is pulling some strange things, let me tell you. Apparently they have so much confidence in my team that they sent an extra team for Suiren to look over. So me and my team get to look after ourselves from now on."

Fuu nodded understandingly.

"Yeah, my village is the same. Our Sensei isn't here either. It's all on me. Hoki and Shibuki are useless, so I'll have to carry them to the finals."

Kanashi spared a glance at Hoki and Shibuki, to see if they had any reaction to Fuu's words. They seemed not to have heard, instead chatting with Akari and Kujaku. Though he had his suspicion that they knew what Fuu had said. Most likely that was her attitude all the time.

Kanashi decided not to bring it up.

"Yeah well I'm lucky then. Akari and Kujaku are really strong! None of us need to worry about falling because any of the others can carry us forward."

Fuu nodded, a smile on her face.

"Yeah, if what you said last night was true, then I wouldn't be surprised if your team and mine faced each other in the finals. And you believe me, I'm not going to lose! Even If I_ do_ have stupid teammates."

Kanashi just nodded, glad that Fuu was confident in herself. He had no doubt, however, that she would come to see her teammates differently at the end of all this.

His team and Fuu's continued to chat while Suiren and her new team piped in every now and then. Before long the line was half as long as it was before, and then half as long again. Finally after an hour of waiting, they were processed. Kanashi had been worried that they'd require more information than he was willing to give. Such as techniques, missions completed, or bloodlines. Luckily, that was against policy. All they needed to do was sign their name next to document that had been sent from their respective villages. There was some trouble with Suiren's new team, but that Leaf ninja, Genma, sorted it out when he gave the office the scroll.

He said goodbye to Fuu as she and her teammates went searching for a place to stay. Though not before Fuu had made him promise to show up near the gates later to talk. For being so determined not to get close to her teammates, she was really starved for companionship. It was odd how paradoxical she was. She hated people, but was friendly and upbeat if you cracked through her shell. She didn't like her teammates, but she obviously wanted friends. And her teammates seemed rather friendly. It took no coaxing to get them to just begin idle chat with ninja from another village. On top of that, she tried her hardest to make everyone think she was a rough and irritable person who hated the world. But in truth, she was really happy-go-lucky, and often quick to smile.

"Thinking about something, Kanashi?"

Kanashi turned to Akari, who was standing next to him, a look of mild concern on his face.

"Yeah, just wondering why Fuu is so determined to hate her teammates. They didn't really seem that bad."

Akari gave out a snort.

"Then you must not have talked to Hoki. The guy was non-stop bragging. I swear, I've never come across a more annoying person who was so full of himself. You should have heard him go on and on about this stupid C-rank mission that he did. They protected a bunch of sheep from wild animals, Kanashi. Seriously, it was something we could do in our sleep, and he went on and on about it.

I almost wanted to tell him we do C-ranks regularly. We even completed that B-rank that one time."

Kanashi and Kujaku looked at him.

Akari sighed.

"I didn't tell him about it. C'mon guys I know when to keep things confidential. I just listened politely and nodded my head every now and then."

Kujaku laughed, apparently amused by Akari's face as he did an approximation of the nodding gesture he used on Hoki.

"Well, Shibuki was nice enough. He was mostly interested in what I knew about the Leaf. He was quite the history buff. We talked about the first Hokage and how the whole village system got started. The guy was really into it. He really wants the Waterfall to become the Sixth great ninja village." said Kujaku.

Kanashi and Akari nodded their approval. That was a good dream, one that Kanashi and Akari both shared for the Hidden Grass. Team Suiren would see that it became a reality. Or rather, Suiren's former team.

Kanashi made a scowl as he considered that. They weren't Suiren's team any more, which meant one of them should be the new leader. But who would it be? Kanashi set his mind to work, trying to think who would be best suited to the task.

As he thought, he followed Akari as he lead the three through the Leaf in search of an Inn. Suiren had left them at the gate, along with Ichi, Nii, and San. He had asked why they weren't staying together, but Suiren had explained that even if they were all from the same village, that they were still in competition. As such, it was necessary that they have their own places so that they could speak more freely about their plans and strategies. While Kanashi agreed with the logic behind it, he still felt like they should be able to trust each other enough to spend the nights in the same building.


	11. Chapter 11

Akari found an Inn close to a couple of restaurants and general stores. It was a good location that would allow them to stay close. That way, they would have immediate access should something go wrong. Akari offered to pay for the rooms while Kujaku offered to go do the shopping. Kanashi, wanting to make himself useful, offered to take a look around the vicinity so that they would know where to escape should something happen. Normally, such a thing would be called overly cautious by all of them. But it only took a few glances at buildings still being rebuilt to remind them that even in one of the great Five ninja villages, disaster could strike. That, and Kanashi had a reputation to uphold.

Kanashi went about the village without the civilians so much as giving him a glance. He briefly wondered if they even noticed that the headband around his neck wasn't from the Leaf. As he turned into a sunny side-street, he was nearly knocked over by a little girl who must have been no older than nine. He caught himself however, and managed to avoid looking foolish. The girl, though, got knocked onto her backside. She rubbed it, muttering some very silly curse words that almost made him giggle. Though, he thought he'd hold onto 'brain-dead doody-head'. The thought of calling that out at an enemy as they clashed brought a smile on his face.

His amusement over, he offered a hand to the little girl. She had orange hair tied up into two very large pigtails. She also had red oval markings on her cheeks. When she glanced up, and saw him, she instantly noticed his forehead protector. She batted his hand away and scuffled backward.

"K-Konohamaru! Help, I'm over here! Please hurry!"

Before Kanashi could ask who Konohamaru was and why the girl was frightened, a pair of kunai came out of the trees from his left. He instantly swerved to the side, and snatched both of them out of the air. He snapped his head in the direction, intent on finding whoever just attacked him. He didn't have to look too hard. On one of the thicker branches was another kid. This one was also around nine.

However, while the girl was frightened, and still backing away, he was attempting to look fierce. He had spiky brown hair and an oversized scarf around his neck. Honestly, the kid couldn't look less intimidating if he tried. Still, Kanashi's good mood had been soured by a couple of kunai. It didn't matter much to him that they had been thrown by a kid. They were still very real, and were not toys. It was against the rules to allow children to play with such equipment.

"Hey kid, don't play with real kunai, that's dangerous! Where are your parents?"

The kid didn't respond. Well, he did, but not to the question.

"My name is Konohamaru! And I'm going to kick your butt for hurting Moegi!"

Kanashi gave off a sneer, not in the mood to play games. He might have been, had the brat not made it painfully clear he was actively trying to hurt him. And who the heck was Moegi? Kanashi looked over at the girl, now being comforted by a third kid with glasses. He had a feeling he knew who Moegi was, now. The heck was she crying for, anyway?

"Look, kid. She ran into me. I didn't hurt her or anything! Now get down from there, you could fall."

The kid just made a pouting face, which Kanashi thought might be his attempt at a scowl.

Suddenly, before things could get worse, Kanashi heard another voice in the direction of the other kids.

"Konohamaru get down from there, you could fall!"

Kanashi spared a glance over to the voice. He found that it belonged to a short and pink-haired Kunoichi. She had green eyes and wore a red dress. By her side were two other ninja, who, from their ages, he guessed were Genin. The one on her left was rather...chubby. He also wore a scarf and green haori over a shirt that read 'food'. He was sharing a bag of chips with the little girl.

To the right of the pink-haired Kunoichi was a blonde haired Kunoichi. She wore a purple ensemble, and had blue eyes. She wore her forehead protector as a belt, and seemed to be glaring at him.

The whole group looked to be about the same age as Suiren's new team. Which would mean that they had most likely taken the test once before and failed. It wasn't a sure thing, of course. He had never taken an exam, and he was older than fourteen. But they were natives of the village, and the ease with which they could take it made him believe they would have at least make an attempt. They weren't very intimidating by appearance alone, but he had a sneaking suspicion that they were stronger than they looked. He wasn't about to fall prey to the competition just because they didn't look like he thought they should.

Ignoring the blonde Kunoichi's glare, and the little kid's glare who still hadn't come down, Kanashi waved at the Leaf Genin. He was still upset at the brat for throwing real kunai at him, but he thought it best if he let it slide for now. Obviously, the Leaf did not like foreign shinobi.

"Konohamaru get down _now_, before I knock your block off!" said the pink-haired Kunoichi.

After an amusing shouting match between the two, the kid got down and bounded towards his peers. At this, the three Leaf ninja redirected their attention to Kanashi, none of them looking too pleased. Kanashi smiled anyway. He wasn't about to become the antagonist because of this.

"What's wrong with you? Hitting a little kid, makes you feel tough huh? Too weak to fight a real ninja, so you go around beating up pretend ones? I ought to kick your ass!"

Kanashi continued to smile, but he was really forcing it. He was not happy. They thought he had hit her? Good grief, she ran into him! It's like they just expected foreign ninja to just come in their village and hit their children. What kind of person would _expect_ that? Heck, what kind of idiot would _do_ that?

"I...," Kanashi gathered his thoughts, trying to think of the best way to diffuse the situation.

"I believe you are mistaken. She ran into me, and then that little... kid threw two kunai at me before I could ask her if she was alright. I never laid a finger on her. And, I know it's not my business, but I would show a bit more courtesy to ninja you'll have to work with in the future. The Grass and Leaf are allies you know."

The blond cooled down a bit, but was obviously still angry. The chubby one spoke up next, not nearly as angry as the other two. Although Kanashi wasn't sure if the pink-haired one was mad at him or the kid.

"Sorry about that, we had some trouble with foreign ninja in the last exam. This situation mirrors a previous incident, so Ino was just making sure you weren't like that."

The pink-haired one finally spoke to him, apparently having the same feelings as her chubby companion.

"Yeah, we're sorry about Konohamaru too, he's just really protective. He's trying to be like, well, another friend of ours who's out of the village for personal matters. To be honest, Konohamaru could stand to have role-models who thought their actions through a bit more."

Kanashi kept his forced smirk on his face. He was going to be civil, no matter how difficult it was. Besides, they had apologized, and accepted his explanation of events rather easily. But he still couldn't get over the feeling of animosity he felt from them. Even the boy, who wasn't outwardly angry, seemed to be rather cold. Well, he supposed that made sense. Even if the Grass and Leaf were allies, it was healthy to be cautious around foreign ninja. Kanashi put that thought out of his mind. Suiren had been adamant that camaraderie was a very important part of this mission. The Chunin exams weren't just about showing off, they were also about strengthening ties between the villages.

Even if people did die during them.

Kanashi kept his fake smirk up.

"No problem, just make sure not to assume I'm such a bad guy before telling me you're going to kick my ass, ok?"

The blond Kunoichi, he had already forgotten what they said her name was, had the courtesy to blush, but kept a scowl on her face. Though Kanashi thought she might have just kept it up to not seem foolish. The boy however, actually laughed. Even the pink haired Kunoichi stifled a giggle.

Maybe he could salvage the situation yet.

He walked on, toward the three, and extended his hand.

"I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. First impressions are important, but I'd like to see if we can't try again. My name is Kanashi of the Village Hidden in the Grass."

The boy shook his hand first, happily munching on the last chip as he stuffed the empty package into his pocket.

"My name is Chouji Akimichi, of the Hidden Leaf, happy to meet you."

Kanashi filed away the name for later study, and shook the boy's hand. He had quite the firm grip. He extended his hand to the pink-haired Kunoichi next. She grasped it firmly, and for a second Kanashi thought she might break his hand. She was seriously strong! He did his best to hide his discomfort, but he doubted he did all that great a job.

"I'm Sakura Haruno, of the Hidden Leaf, pleased to make your acquaintance."

Kanashi smiled, "Likewise."

Finally, the blond Kunoichi came. She didn't immediately reach for his hand, instead looking him over first. But she relented after a few seconds. Kanashi's smile may have been fake, but it was still rather disarming.

"Ino Yamanaka, sorry for jumping to conclusions."

Kanashi stopped smiling then, instead giving her his genuine smirk.

"No problem. You were just looking out for trouble right? No harm done. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go make some preparations. After all the Exam is tomorrow, and I like to be prepared. It was nice meeting all of you."

While Ino just nodded, Chouji and Sakura returned his courtesies. They left shortly after, mentioning that they also had some things to do before tomorrow. Kanashi probably could have attempted to be more sociable, but he doubted they'd warm up to a foreign shinobi quickly enough for his purposes. He could get people to warm up to him quickly, but he didn't have as long as he did with Fuu. Instead, he decided to use his time for something else.

He continued his observations, remembering pathways and shortcuts in case of emergencies as he'd originally planned. After he was done he began to talk to civilians, asking for directions to their public library. He was lucky that the civilian population didn't seem to be quite as hostile as their shinobi. He found the library without incident, and immediately went to the history section. If this place was set up at all like the Hidden Grass, then they should have a collection of history books from before the current era of Hidden Villages. Most history books were censored, or were missing in useful information. But books from the time when clans were on their own, and skirmishes were constant, often missed this scrutiny. Thanks to this, detailed accounts of clan techniques could be gleaned from battles long past.

And considering he had just acquired the surnames of three of his future opponents, he would be ready should he need to face them in battle. He smiled then. Not a fake smile, or his usual smirk, but a real genuine smile. He would not be caught unprepared. He would not share Shiore's fate.


	12. Chapter 12

Akari gave a forlorn breath of exhaustion. He was tired, though he wasn't exactly sure why. He hadn't strained himself all that much. However, he would admit that the day's events weren't exactly normal. From meeting Kanashi's newest friend and her teammates to meeting up with Suiren and her new team, he needed a moment to take it all in.

As such, he was glad when his teammates let him pay for the Inn and settle in. They both offered to take care of their other needs. Kanashi, as usual, went to plan for the worst outcome, seeking out escape routes. Kujaku offered to go get groceries, something he honestly didn't think they'd need. According to Kanashi, the second phase of the exam was right after the first, and consisted of staying in some sort of deadly forest. He mentioned it to Kujaku when she left, hopefully she would pack supplies for camping instead of a stay at an Inn. He didn't want to attempt and eat instant ramen in the middle of a forest.

As he stretched his legs on the large bed inside their room, he realized not for the first time how useful his brother was. It was thanks to his obsession with being ready that they knew about the forest. If they had found out about it only after the first part of the exam, they'd have a much tougher time of it. Of course, he didn't do anything with the knowledge. It was up to Kujaku and himself, as usual, to figure out what to do with the information. That always had been his brothers biggest flaw. He didn't always capitalize on what he knew.

Kujaku also had problems. She would never take the opportunities to learn about her surroundings. Even when an easy opportunity presented itself. Just earlier today he had been able to identify Hoki's personality and skill set through asking about previous missions and letting slip his proficiency with his swords. A little subtle bragging, and prodding, and Hoki had to do his best to equal him. He hadn't really impressed Akari. But that wasn't the point. The point was to asses a ninja that Kanashi couldn't. Kanashi assessed threats and possible allies of ninja that caught his interest or fell in his lap. Akari assessed everyone else. After all, many of the more powerful ninja weren't all that visually intriguing.

Kujaku of course, had grown up with them, and because of that was used to them taking care of the future. As such, she let opportunities slip, not accustomed to making use of them herself. That was fine as long as they were a Genin team. But it would prove problematic if she was on her own. Kanashi too, would have problems using the information he gathered.

That was Akari's biggest worry. It wasn't about the Chunin exams and whether they'd fail or not. He was positive they would. It was what would happen afterward. Kujaku's information gathering skills were poor, but she used the information available to her well. On the other end of the spectrum was Kanashi, whose information gathering skills were superb, but his use of them was mediocre at best. Only Akari had a nice blend of the two skills.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the softness of a real mattress. He could sleep anywhere, really. But it was nice having a bed after sleeping in a small tent with another person. He put away his worries in favor of just resting up, preparing his mind and body for tomorrow's trials. He almost nodded off, before the door creaked open revealing Kujaku with two very large bags. Outside the door, Akari noticed the sun beginning to recede.

"Hey Akari. Kanashi around?"

"No, you're the first one back. So, what did you get?"

Akari got up off the bed, intent on waiting until his team was reassembled before nodding off.

Kujaku took out some dried meats, packaged cheeses and vegetables, as well as some dried noodles. Next she took out a pan and pot, small enough to fit into one of their packs.

Akari nodded his approval. Although, he worried about actually cooking anything.

"Good thinking Kujaku, but we might not be able actually cook anything. Last I checked we'll be in a relatively small area with enemy ninja in all directions. If the fire itself doesn't attract them all, then the smell certainly will. Still, we can eat the vegetables raw, so it's not so bad."

Kujaku just waved him off.

"You forget, Kanashi has been practicing his Genjutsu. He should be able to hide us from any enemies. Besides, I think it might make a pretty good trap. We don't really know why we'll be in a forest, but I'm willing to bet they'll give us some sort of incentive for attacking each other."

Akari just shrugged, not wanting to push the matter.

Kujaku placed the groceries inside a sealing scroll, not bothering with the small refrigerator that was supplied to them. After she was done she stretched her arms and back, she was still stiff from the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements from the night prior. Akari decided that they all needed their rest, especially Kanashi. His techniques were useful, but they were no substitute for actual sleep. With a quick glance at the clock, Akari decided to go find him. He should have been finished before now.

With one more sigh, he got out of his comfortable position on the bed and headed to the door.

Kujaku gave him a look of confusion.

"I'm going after Kanashi. We all need our rest for tomorrow and he should have been here by now. The sun is already setting, and I'd like us to sleep through the night." said Akari

Kujaku nodded in agreement.

"But do you even know where he is? He was looking for escape routes if I remember correctly. He could be anywhere in the village."

For a second, Akari considered that it might be better to wait where he was. Kujaku was right, after all. It was a large village. However, even as he thought that, he realized he _did_ know where his brother was going to be. That Waterfall Kunoichi had told him to meet her by the gates. He might be new to the village, but he knew where those were at least.

"Don't worry so much Kujaku. I know exactly where he is."

He grabbed his swords that he had set next to the door and left before Kujaku had time to respond.


	13. Chapter 13

Kanashi walked slowly towards the gates. He was tired, though he hadn't done much today. Though he was rather used to it. His stamina was rather poor, after all. Still, he had agreed to meet Fuu before tomorrow, even if he would rather be in bed. It was kind of his own fault he had waited so long, anyway. He did not expect his research to be so time consuming.

He had studied the Akimichi and Yamanaka clans at the library, finding general information about their techniques. It seemed the Leaf was a lot better at censoring than the Hidden Grass. All he knew was that the Yamanaka used some sort of mind control jutsu, and the Akimichi could alter their body's sizes.

He hadn't found anything on any Haruno clan. Which led him to believe that the girl might not belong to a clan at all. Surnames weren't exclusive to clans at any rate. Though he was disappointed at his lack of findings, Kanashi did his best not to let himself get frustrated. He knew something, and that would have to be enough. Besides, he had not heard of them prior to this, so that meant that they did not make it to the third stage of the exams last time.

Whether that was because they did not take the test last time or failed the second stage, of course, was unknown to him.

Kanashi had eventually given up when he realized what time it was. He would be lucky if Fuu was still there, even luckier if his teammates did not come looking for him. A futile hope at best. Though, that did bring up the question of who was going to lead them. His head shot up at remembering that he had yet to reach a conclusion.

As he passed by a ramen stand, he noticed that the sun had finally set.

He hurried, breaking into top speed despite his tiredness. He would never break an agreement. Honesty was something he took seriously, despite his profession. He had said he would meet Fuu, and he would. Although, he might only speak a few words with her. There would be time to get to know each other later, surely.

After a relatively short amount of time, he arrived at the gates, with not a soul around. The gates were closed, he realized, and the office nest to it was empty.

Kanashi took in a deep breath, berating himself. Fuu most likely had already left. What would that do to their rather short acquaintance? She seemed needy, but she also hated people who seemed rather friendly. He really knew very little about her. It could be that even this small slight could have her declare him her enemy.

"Hey, Kanashi, glad you could make it."

Kanashi's head turned to the side, to the side of a building with laundry hanging off a line connecting to another building. On top of the line stood Fuu, smiling down at him.

He rose an eyebrow, wondering how he didn't notice her. Was she really that good at stealth?

"Heh, yeah, glad I made it. Sorry for being so late, I had some things I had to do." said Kanashi.

Fuu jumped down off the clothes line, landing silently, confirming to Kanashi that she really was that stealthy. On her back was an odd red bag that had not been there before. Curious, Kanashi decided to ask about it.

"So what's up with the bag, that's new."

"Not really, I just left it with my teammates the day I met you. Didn't ask for it back until tonight. And unless you want to tell me what your scroll is for, don't think I'll give away my secrets so easily." said Fuu.

Kanashi just smiled sheepishly. He wasn't about to tell her what it did when he didn't even tell his teammates.

"Well then it looks like we're both out of luck. The scroll's a secret. so I guess I won't be learning about that bag anytime soon."

"Oh, you'll learn about it sooner than you think. We may be friends, but don't go thinking I'll go easy on you. I'm going to pound you into the dirt!"

Kanashi cringed in an exaggerated fashion.

"Yeesh, with friends like you who needs enemies? Well if that's how you feel about it, then I guess I'll have to go all out too."

He leaned close to her then, and began whispering.

"Honestly, I feel bad for you, I'm a pretty tough opponent. You probably won't survive."

Fuu just laughed, actually slapping her knee as she fell onto the ground clutching her sides. After wiping away a few tears that gathered due to how hard she was laughing, she stood up. Kanashi was just giving her a look, obviously not finding his own joke all that funny.

As she stood up and dusted herself off, she gave a quick look around the place, obviously trying to see if anyone else was there. Satisfied that there was not, she turned to Kanashi with a wide grin.

"Okay, Kanashi, I think we've chatted long enough. I wanted you here so we could get to know each other better."

Kanashi's face scrunched up at that. How else were they going to get to know each other?

"How are we supposed to get to know each other if we don't talk? That's how that works."

Fuu took out a kunai from her holster, and stared at it a bit. Her eyes narrowed, and her face turned contemplative. She looked a lot like what she had when she and Kanashi had first met. She was grim faced, and seemed rather serious.

Kanashi did not let any outward notion of his nervousness show, but he wondered if maybe he had been wrong about Fuu. Was she really just out to get rid of him? There was no one else around, if she attacked him he would be on his own. Still, he wanted to give her the benefit of a doubt.

Fuu's head snapped up, glaring at Kanashi with an intensity that made him wary.

"My Sensei once said that you can know a shinobi's heart through battle. That, in the midst of turmoil, all falseness, all deceit whether well-intentioned or not, is stripped away. To know someone fully, you must fight them. Combat between two people can say more than hours of talking...

And that there is a certain purity in the way techniques are used in battle."

Kanashi didn't really know what to say to that. He wanted to refute it, but he doubted that would really change Fuu's mind. It was rather obvious to him now what she intended. Though he decided to ask for confirmation anyway.

"So... you want to fight...me? Right now?"

Fuu nodded.

Kanashi let out a sigh, feeling rather solemn at that moment. He did not really want to fight. But, there was some truth to her words. At least, in the world of ninja, where lies, tricks, and subterfuge were common in so called 'peaceful interactions', the visceral activity of heated combat allowed things to escape that which were normally kept in check. Kanashi nodded in turn, removing his scroll and cloak, and tossing them on the ground a few feet away. That left him in his black t-shirt and Capri's, fishnet clothing underneath.

He stood there in the night with his dark clothing, across Fuu who wore white. On his side, there was nothing but darkness. On Fuu's side, shone the moon

"Okay, then. Let's get to _truly_ know each other." said Kanashi


	14. Chapter 14

Fuu gave a determined smirk to Kanashi. She seemed excited at the prospect of fighting him. He didn't know if he should be flattered right now, but he was nervous. He wouldn't be able to use any of his signature techniques if he wanted to catch her off guard later.

As if reading his thoughts, Fuu held up a hand with three fingers held up.

"Alright, since I know you're a bit nervous, here are some rules. Rule number one, no Ninjutsu! Rule number two, no Genjutsu! and Rule number three, no serious wounds should be given if you can help it. After all, we don't want to fail the Chunin Exams because of this do we?"

Kanashi nodded slowly, contemplating what to do. He wasn't very good at Taijutsu. His strengths were Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, though he wouldn't have been able to use those anyway without showing her what to expect from him in the future. However, she hadn't said anything about using ninja tools. That may be his saving grace here...

Before he could continue, Fuu rushed at him with a burst of speed he was unprepared for.

Fuu sent a punch his way, in line for his face. He was able to dodge it, but not the foot she had secretly put behind his own foot.

As a result, he stumbled out of the attack and landed on his back. He recovered quickly, however, and used the momentum to flip forward back onto his feet.

"H-Hey! You didn't say go!"

Fuu just smirked, and then said "Go."

She rushed at him again, this time throwing the kunai she had held in her other hand.

Just like his earlier excursion, Kanashi caught the kunai and slashed it forward, causing Fuu to jump to the side to avoid being cut.

Kanashi quickly jumped backwards, trying to get some distance between himself and Fuu. He pulled out three shuriken and let them fly. However, that proved rather fruitless as Fuu side-stepped each one, rushing him yet again.

Kanashi remained stone-faced however, before jerking his free hand back violently. Fuu's eyes widened before she dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding the three shuriken from earlier. In the light of the moon, the wires connecting them to Kanashi's hands gave off a metallic glint.

Kanashi twirled the shuriken above his head, ready to strike should Fuu get close.

Fuu, however, didn't seem to be worried in the slightest. Instead she simply brought out another kunai. With no hesitation, she dashed to Kanashi, a smile on her face.

Kanashi didn't have time to think, he brought his shuriken down low, intending to catch her feet with the wire. She jumped over however, and jabbed her kunai down into the ground as she was in the air.

The wires were caught, and wrapped around the kunai.

With the shuriken taken care of, she landed, and continued her pursuit. She reached Kanashi quickly, before he had time to gain more distance.

Kanashi was surprised, but not shocked at the display. He brought the hand holding the stolen kunai up to deflect her new kunai. She kept up a vicious assault that took all of Kanashi's concentration. However, as it became apparent that she couldn't get past his guard with speedy thrusts and slashes, she changed tactics.

She began to step into his footing, attempting to trip him up and make him fall. Kanashi kept up with her, however, and managed to avoid her trips and sweeps. Finally he caught her kunai hand with his free hand, only for her to do the same.

She grunted as he squeezed his hold on her wrist. He was not a close combat type, and he didn't think he'd win if they remained in such close quarters for long. Suddenly, Kanashi let out a scream as she squeezed her own hold on his wrist. It felt like she'd broken it! Finally, he brought up his foot and landed a solid hit onto her gut, sending her backward a few feet.

Both kunai laded on the ground between them as Kanashi jumped backwards again.

Fuu looked up to him, looking... a little worried. Kanashi made an inquisitive face, wondering why she was worried. He was the one in trouble, what with a wrist that might be broken.

"Hey, um, sorry if I hurt you too much there. Sometimes I don't know my own strength. You okay?"

Kanashi just stared, not really believing what he was hearing. He decided he'd analyze Fuu's behavior later. Right now, it would be best to keep her from worrying.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You're pretty tough you know, I think my wrist almost broke! You are way stronger than you look."

Fuu gave him a sheepish smile, a blush on her face, apparently not used to praise.

"Heh, thanks. but don't think I'll go easy on you for a few throw-away compliments."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

The brief pause in the battle ended, with Fuu once again playing the role of aggressor. She ran towards Kanashi once more, this time intent on using mere Taijutsu to bring him down.

Kanashi ran to meet her, intent on taking the initiative this time. As they met, he sent a fist towards her gut. She slipped out of its trajectory, and skidded under his open legs. As she did, she hit him squarely between the legs.

Kanashi winced, but didn't falter. Instead, he grabbed Fuu's foot just before she finished skidding past him. Fuu, obviously surprised, was unprepared for the counter. Kanashi dragged Fuu back, and hoisted her in the air before slamming her down on her back.

Kanashi was the one surprised this time. Normally that move left someone out of breath, but Fuu looked fine. With a smirk, she repeated the move Kanashi had done earlier, flipping forward onto her feet.

In a flash, she sent a punch into Kanashi's face, he blocked it...only to find it was a feint. The real attack was a kick to his sternum, sending him flying back with incredible force.

Kanashi fell flat onto his back, before realizing the wind had been knocked out of him. It took a few second for him to get up, and from the look on Fuu's face, he realized the fight was over.

He'd lost.

"You did pretty well! Not the greatest fight I've ever had, but it sure kept me on my toes. Though I hope that's not the best you can do, otherwise I think you might be in a bit of trouble."

Kanashi got up off the ground, dusting himself off. He felt rather exhausted, he hadn't been very lively to begin with, but that fight was a lot more intensive than he had thought it would be.

"Yeah, yeah. Well don't you worry, that's far from _my_ best. I promise if we fight in the exams, it will go quite differently." Kanashi smirked, not in the least bit upset over his loss.

"Still, I got to hand it to you, you are definitely a contender. Makes me wonder what kind of Ninjutsu you're capable of."

Fuu walked over to her bag that she had taken off before the fight and put it back on. She turned to Kanashi, a smile on her lips.

"Guess you'll just have to find out, huh?" said Fuu.

Their conversation was interrupted by a man suddenly dropping down from between them. Both were startled, and a bit ashamed. They had both let down their guard after their little sparring match, and had allowed someone to sneak up on them

"There you are."

Kanashi squinted at the newcomer, trying to make him out in the dark.

"Akari?"

As soon as he had said it, he knew he was right.

Although his turtleneck did not make itself apparent, his shorts, the same blinding white as Fuu's, stood out. Kanashi could also make out his brother's odd choice in knee-length sandals.

Akari turned his head towards Kanashi, he looked mildly amused. Had he watched the whole thing?

"Well, well, well... Looks like you got your butt handed to you, Kanashi. I have to admit, I expected more from you. After all, you are the 'strongest' of the Grass Genin. Makes me wonder if I should go ask Suiren to pull us out. We may be over our heads."

Fuu looked on confused, not able to tell if Akari was serious or not.

Kanashi just shook his head, his brother was such a drama queen sometimes.

"C'mon, Akari. We both know Taijutsu isn't my forte. Besides, do you think you could have done any better? She's tough you know."

Akari gave a snort, folding his arms across his chest as he walked towards Kanashi.

"Tough? Maybe, for you. But that fight was rather anticlimactic. I expected to be blown away."

Kanashi smirked as Akari confirmed his suspicions. He had been here for the whole battle. Most likely, he had come after him when the sun went down. He really had taken too long at the library.

Fuu was not amused at Akari's posturing, however.

"Hey! He did his best, quit being a jerk you ass!"

Kanashi and Akari both shot Fuu a quizzical expression. She obviously wasn't used to teasing, whether directed at her or not.

"Calm down, Fuu. Akari's just messing with me. It's just light banter. He doesn't mean a word of it." said Kanashi

Fuu did not look convinced, but let the matter drop. Akari did not let his eyes leave her. Apparently he was a little less trustful than Kanashi when it came to foreign ninja.

"So, Kanashi. I guess I'll see you later, okay?" said Fuu, obviously still mad at Akari.

Kanashi responded in kind and watched in silence as Fuu headed off. He had hoped they could talk some more, but it was probably for the best that she had left. She and Akari obviously would not be getting along. And while his brother was better about keeping his temper in check, once it got out it was _way_ worse than his own.

"Sheesh, Kanashi you sure know how to pick 'em."

Kanashi gave a demeaning look to his brother, who looked rather bored despite trying to incite a response. Kanashi just sighed, this would come back to bite him in the rear somehow. He did not know when, but he was sure it would.

Without bothering to respond to Akari, he walked over to where he had dropped his cloak and scroll, putting them back in place before signaling to Akari he was ready to go. With a nod, Akari jumped up onto the side of a nearby building and ran up the side. He jumped up then and began running along the rooftops toward the Inn. Kanashi followed suit.

It wasn't long before Akari decided to break the silence between them.

"So, you were out a long time. Learn anything?"

Kanashi gave a nod and proceeded to tell Akari about his encounter with the Leaf team, and his subsequent foray into the library. He then told him about Fuu's behavior before their spar, in case Akari had not been there at that time. It took a little longer than Kanashi would of liked, mainly due to his non-stop yawning. He was really tired.

When he was done, Akari scratched his chin in thought.

"Alright, so we know of a Hyuuga, a Yamanaka, an Akimichi, a Nara, an Uchiha, an Orange-wearing guy, and we don't have to worry about the wind or sand user. That about sum it up?"

"Yeah, except, I think the Nara made it to Chunin, so we don't have to worry about him either."

Akari gave a nod before changing the subject.

"So what about that orange-eyed girl? What's up with her?"

Kanashi shook his head, reverting back to his old habit of whenever something confuse him.

"I don't know. Not yet. but I have some guesses as to her behavior. I've got nothing on her abilities, though. Still, I think I have rudimentary understanding of her psyche."

Akari gestured with his hand for him to keep going.

"Well, from her lack of social understanding, and seeming hatred of social contact, one could say she was anti-social. That is, she prefers to stay to herself. However, that is not true. When I was able to get her to talk to me, she spoke about trivial things, yet treated them as if they were precious secrets. This tells me she's incredibly lonely. Not to mention her happy-go-lucky attitude when she's with people she likes.

"This leads me to believe that due to something outside her control, she's had little friendly contact. She was most likely bullied when she was younger, though I don't think it was due to poor skill. From her fight, I gathered she's around your level when it comes to pure Taijutsu. That is, when you fight without your swords."

Akari nodded, having made the same assessment when watching her. Kanashi continued his observations.

"So, due to something outside her control, she was ostracized, and as such is unaccustomed to social contact outside of fights and obligation. Which might explain that odd way she referred to fighting as getting to know people. Though I can't say for sure."

The two stopped suddenly as they came to their Inn.

Akari gave a glance over to his older brother.

"You're pretty good at analyzing people Kanashi. But you don't always capitalize on it. Look, I know you want to befriend this girl, but make sure you don't go easy on her in these exams. From what I gathered, It was just a straight Taijutsu match with ninja tools. I don't doubt you tried, but I have a hard time believing that was the best you had.

"Remember, not everyone is like you. This girl could be playing you for a fool, for all we know. Use those insights of yours to find a weakness. You can bet she'll use any information she's got on you. Now come on. I want us all to be ready to go tomorrow. We all need a good night's sleep. You especially."

Kanashi simply nodded.

He may not agree that Fuu was playing him. If anything, he felt slightly guilty telling Akari all he had known. She was eager to trust someone, and despite the fact that he did consider her his friend, that would not stop him from exploiting everything he knew about her. He did the same with Akari and Kujaku, even Suiren, when they fought.

That's just how he was. He used honesty and openness, to get a future opponent to reveal their vulnerabilities

With another yawn, he followed Akari to their room. Although he may have doubted his brother's words about Fuu, he was right about one thing.

He needed a good night's sleep. After all, tomorrow was when the Chunin Exams would finally begin.

* * *

**AN:/** Hey to anyone who's reading this. I just wanted to clear a few things up in case there was confusion. All OVAs, including the Waterfall OVA will be non-canon in this story. Filler episodes are canon, but all filler arcs after Sasuke has left have not happened yet. Movies are also canon, so the Stone of Gelel and Clash in the Land of Snow have already happened and are canon. So has the one with the Hidden Moon village ( I've forgotten the name.)

Shibuki, Fuu's teammate, is the same Shibuki from the OVA, however I feel like they made the Waterfall too weak in that. So, Shibuki is a Genin, rather than their leader, and I've decided to make them almost as strong as the main five.

Future movies and filler arcs as well as their characters will be used a lot in this fic. Hope you enjoyed the longer chapter! In the future I plan for the chapters to get longer and longer.


	15. Chapter 15

Nii woke up with an uncomfortable crick in her neck. She had slept in the same room as Suiren, not wanting to spend any more time than was necessary with her two accomplices. They had already managed to make their task more difficult than it needed to be. Why did San have to make such a bad first impression? He was lucky she had been able to soften up that short one with the dark clothes.

Luckily, he and Ichi were not completely incompetent and had taken advantage of their numbers. Each of them would befriend one of the students. One on one interactions would allow them to grow closer quicker. She had taken it upon herself to befriend the short gloomy one with an obsession with rules. Ichi was befriending the taller sword-wielding one. And San was attempting to befriend the girl. She really had to learn their names soon.

With a quick motion to pop her neck she kicked the Kunoichi that was supposed to be her sensei. With a glance to the clock on the wall, Nii noted that she had about an hour to report to the Chunin Exam register. Suiren rose slowly beside her, now awake from Nii's sharp kicks to her side.

"Alright, Suiren, go wash up. We'll be gone for the rest of today, maybe more. We need you to loiter around the village and keep up appearances. Act like you normally would, and make sure to follow the other teams' teachers in case they need to meet somewhere."

Suiren silently nodded her head and headed to gather her clothes. Nii looked on, still surprised at how complicated Lord Hiruko's technique had become. When he had first invented it, it was not nearly so advanced, requiring the user to actually move their hands and be within a certain range to manipulate the victim. Now the poor sap who was under the technique's spell could take voice commands from whoever the caster chose. Not only that, but they could act as they normally did when commanded. It was flawless, as far as Nii could see. Lord Hiruko really was a genius.

With a toss of her hair, she headed to the bathroom in the hall to wash and get ready for the day. She grabbed her new outfit, not all that bad despite her annoyingly pre-pubescent body, and headed out the door. As she did so, she noticed Ichi outside the door. He looked rather upset. Nii just rolled her eyes. The fool was always upset about something. If she wasn't around to keep him and San in check they most likely would have butchered the mission already.

With a heavy sigh she greeted him.

"Good morning. Now, what do you want?"

Ichi narrowed his eyes as he looked down at her. Even in his newfound youth he was remarkably tall.

"We need to go over our strategy."

"I thought we went over that. I befriend the short guy that snapped at San, you deal with his brother and San deals with the girl."

Ichi shifted his posture, obviously annoyed.

"Yes, yes. But I was referring to when Master tells us its time. We need to know what to do when he calls on us. We cannot be ill-prepared!"

Nii let out a snort, already tired of the conversation. As if she couldn't handle a young upstart. Did Ichi and San really think so lowly of their own abilities?

"Fine, if you really think we can't deal with those brats without some sort of strategy then fine. But I'm washing my hair first, so get out of the way."

She pushed her way past him, not bothering to look back. With a quick walk, she slammed the bathroom door behind her. She found herself staring at her reflection in the Inn's hallway bathroom mirror. She looked over herself with a scrutinizing gaze

She hated seeing that little girl in the mirror.

She was a beautiful woman, not a little girl just getting her first training bra. She wanted to get out of this body. But she couldn't. Lord Hiruko required her services, required her loyalty. She had not complained when the technique preformed, and she would not now. But that did not mean she liked it. San and Ichi did not seem as affected by the change as she did. No doubt they thought the whole thing amusing. They liked looking like less than what they were, so that when they crushed their opponents they didn't see it coming.

She couldn't care less about that. She was vain, she knew, but she had earned that vanity. It had taken a lot of work to get her body as beautiful as it had been. And now she had to start all over. She pinched the bridge of her nose and put thoughts of her appearance out of her mind. It wasn't the time or place.

She washed her hair in the sink and cleaned herself as best she could. The Inn didn't have a shower or bath indoors. Instead, they had an onsen out back. She didn't have time for that, though, so she made due with a quick scrub. After she was done, she left the small bathroom and headed back to her room. The hallway was empty, apparently San and Ichi were getting ready without bothering to wash. Not a terrible surprise, really.

With a huff she entered her room to dress. Suiren was gone, obviously doing as Nii had commanded earlier. She put on her new outfit, a modest ensemble that while she did not hate, was nowhere near as stunning as her old leather one. With one final thought to her new body, she left the room, ready to discuss whatever strategies Ichi and San deemed important.

* * *

Kanashi stood just outside the building that housed his future. It seemed so unassuming, yet his life would change as soon as set foot inside. He looked back for a moment to catch Kujaku and Akari walking toward him. Kujaku gave a wave. He had awoken early, and gotten a head start on the day. Normally Akari got up first, Kanashi and Kujaku alternating on waking up last. Of course that didn't mean much.

He wasn't going to start without him, of course. It was simply his nerves. He couldn't sleep another minute.

His two teammates weren't hurried in the slightest, they knew he'd wait for them, and they had another thirty minutes to register besides. In less than five minutes they were reunited. None of them said a word, only a grim determined expression. Today was the dawning of a new day.

Akari took the lead with Kanashi on his left and Kujaku on his right, they entered the building and headed to the staircase. They were to meet in room 301. Before long they came to the room, though a crowd had gathered outside it.

Kujaku scratched her chin in confusion.

"What's going on, why aren't they going in?"

Akari shook his head.

"I don't know. Let's ask someone."

Kanashi separated from his team, not actually asking anything, but instead pushing his way past the throng of people. He was able to get past them and to the door. What he saw was quite...interesting.

The door had a large seal written on it, the words "lock" and "unbreakable" were readily visible. One of the other Genin kicked the door, trying to break it down. When that didn't work, another Genin came up, and went through a series of seals. A huge gust of wind battered against the door, but it held.

It quickly became apparent to Kanashi what the crowd was for. The room had been blocked off, and they were all taking turns in attempting to destroy the seal, the door, or both. He furrowed his brow in thought. This seemed wrong for some reason. Though he couldn't put his finger on it. Suddenly, he felt a tapping on his shoulder. Curious, he turned around.

It was Nii.

"Hey, Kanashi. Glad you could join us, another thirty minutes and I might have worried."

Kanashi gave her a smile, not in the least bit concerned at his time constraints. He still had over twenty minutes.

"Hey, Nii. How long have you been here?"

"Oh, for about twenty minutes. Ichi and San are in line waiting to take their shot at the door. Looks like this is a part of the exam. If we can't get in, we won't be able to even enter the Exam! Can you believe it? Come all this way and we can't even get register."

Kanashi nodded his head, only partially listening. He thought the ordeal was strange. For a few reasons, actually. But a thought occurred to him immediately, only the door was sealed. Why not attack the walls? They weren't reinforced, and should fall easily to the Genin attacks. He kept this to himself, however as he continued to look around.

Suddenly, he saw what was wrong. The room just before this one was numbered 200. The room just after this one was numbered 202. They weren't even on the right floor! And this seal was just in place to distract people from that fact! An Idea formed in his head as soon as he realized this. He turned to Nii, wondering if he should share his discovery. He decided he should. After all they were both Grass Genin. With a gesture, he told Nii to get closer.

She complied, but looked confused. He whispered into her ear.

"Hey, I think you should look at the rooms next to this one. If you notice anything, blink twice."

She pulled away, still confused, but did as asked. Her eyes widened as she came to the same conclusion as Kanashi. She blinked twice, as she had been asked. Kanashi nodded his head and then lead her to his team.

As it turned out, Ichi and San had found Akari and Kujaku. As he approached, Kujaku greeted him. Akari broke off his conversation with Ichi and made his way toward Kanashi.

"So what did you find out?"

Kanashi asked the group to get closer before he revealed anything.

"This isn't the right room. They used a Genjutsu to trick all of the applicants. They put the seal there to keep people working on the wrong problem. Most likely this is to weed out the hopeless cases. It's a rather obvious Genjutsu. I suggest we help them... after a fashion. And then go on our way. The real room is another floor up."

Akari nodded.

"I figured as much. I'm not that good with Genjutsu, but I could feel something was off. Anyway, what kind of help did you have in mind?"

"Well... they only sealed the door. The wall next to it is completely vulnerable. If we help them, they'll get in the room, and stop looking at their surroundings. Meaning they'll be unlikely to catch the Genjutsu. Though, it might be unnecessary. If they're dumb enough to keep pounding at the door they probably won't catch the number of the room doesn't match with the others."

Kujaku tilted her head to the side, then looked over to the room numbers. Her eyes widened at realization. She turned back to the group, a flush on her cheeks.

"I didn't even realize..."

Akari nodded, a smirk on his face.

"Right, and if you didn't, these guys probably won't either. I say we take Kanashi's suggestion. Ichi, you were saying you had some really destructive jutsu, why don't you help them out?"

Ichi gave a quick glance to San, who nodded to him, before giving a nod of his own.

"Yeah, alright. I'll do it."

With that he separated from the group, and waded back into the crowd. He made his way to the door just in time to catch another Genin fire a torrent of water at the door. Kanashi just shook his head. San and Nii looked on with bored expressions, waiting to see what Ichi would do. Kujaku and Akari, meanwhile, slipped upstairs. They would go off in pairs to keep the other Genin from realizing what they were doing. A basic strategy that Kanashi had come up with whenever they needed to separate from a large throng without people noticing.

Ichi sneered at the Genin, a girl with scruffy black hair and green eyes from the Leaf.

"C'mon, how dumb are you guys? The door may be reinforced, but the wall isn't! Use your brains, morons."

With that, he went through a series of hand seals before extending his right hand. It transformed into a sleek, black, snake-like creature, and blasted forward, before increasing in mass and demolishing the section of wall right next to the door.

The crowd were all evenly amazed at the destructive power and insight, many rushing in and thanking Ichi for his help. As they got in, however, many realized that there wasn't anyone inside. Kanashi slapped himself, upset that he hadn't thought about that. However, he thought quick and went through his own series of hand seals.

The crowd appeared to calm as they all greeted a non-existent Leaf Chunin Exam Proctor. San and Nii slipped away, mirroring Kujaku and Akari. Ichi moved through the people to reach Kanashi, a grin on his face.

"Heh, quick thinking with the Genjutsu. Didn't know you could make them up like that on the fly. Though it makes me wonder if we weren't better off just leaving all these losers behind."

Kanashi gave a half-hearted shrug.

"I thought the Leaf would have had another illusion set up inside the room anyway, as a double trap. But I guess I was overestimating them. Anyway, thanks Ichi."

"Hn."

Not bothering to comment on Ichi's lack of response, Kanashi left and went up the stairs to the real room 301.

This time, the door was open, and housed the smarter Genin. They looked far more...fierce. Each one spared a glance to Kanashi promising death. Kanashi, however, was unaffected, and instead waved a friendly greeting. Most of the Genin gave a snort or sneer and went back to hushed conversations.

"Geez, wish you would have been that friendly to me when we first met."

Kanashi stepped to the side, letting Ichi in.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I sometimes let my temper get the better of me. I'm normally not like that though. I just have these pet peeves of mine."

Ichi waved him off, not truly interested in the conversation.

"Yeah, yeah. No hard feelings. Gotcha."

With that, Ichi left to find his own team. Kanashi let him go, not all that surprised that he didn't want to talk. After all, they had gotten off on the wrong foot. Still, it could have been worse.

"Hey, I know you. You're the guy that Moegi bumped into, Kanashi right?"

Kanashi, caught off guard, turned around to find the three Leaf Genin he had met before. The blond one, Ino, was the one who had spoken. Behind them were six more Leaf Genin, who all looked like they knew each other. Kanashi turned around, a smirk on his face.

"Yeah, that's me. Nice to see you again, Ino, was it?"

The blond nodded.

"So who was that guy you were talking to? Your teammate?"

Kanashi shook his head.

"No, that was just another guy from my village. We, honestly don't know each other all that well."

"Ah, well I guess that's why he didn't stick around. Anyway, it sure took you a while to get here, did the illusion downstairs hold you up? Hmmm?"

Ino gave Kanashi a demeaning look, taunting him.

"Heh, you could say that. So, did something like that happen last year? Or is that new?"

"Eh, yeah. Although, last year they had two of the Proctors disguised as contestants, they wouldn't let anyone in. Caused a bit of a ruckus."

"Ino!"

Kanashi turned to the boy who had spoken. He was pale-skinned and had long brown hair tied at the bottom. He wore a black forehead protector that he wore snugly over his forehead, two straps came off of it and dangled by his face. He wore a khaki shirt, dark brown shorts, and blue shinobi sandals. He also had bandages wrapped around his right arm, chest, and right leg. The last thing he noticed were his large white eyes.

Immediately he knew that this was the Hyuuga who had made it to the third round last time. He had fought the orange-clad ninja and lost. From the letters, he had determined that this was a very challenging opponent. He was also, apparently, acquaintances with the Leaf Genin he had met the other day.

Interesting.

"Uh, what is it Neji?"said Ino.

Neji, the Hyuuga, sent a scowl his way, before turning to Ino.

"Ino, he had no idea that you had taken the exam previously. He's trying to extract information. It would be best for you to remain close-lipped around him. He seems to have a disarming personality."

Ino, looking slightly betrayed looked back at Kanashi for conformation.

"Heh, guilty as charged! Although, to be perfectly honest, I don't need all that much more information. So withholding something as inconsequential as retaking the test matters very little, Hyuuga Neji. I already have counters to the Gentle Fist. And I am well aware of the Yamanaka's mind control techniques, the Akimichi's size-altering techniques, and more. My information includes all of your techniques and their weaknesses. So, by all means, keep me out of the loop.

"The only thing you're doing is keeping _yourselves_ from learning about _me_."

That earned him glares from all the remaining Leaf Genin. Ino was furious, and a boy with a dog in his jacket actually growled. Neji, however, just matched Kanashi's smirk with his own.

"Making enemies so soon with a bluff? Not that wise, Grass ninja. You might want to rethink your strategy."

Before things could get any worse, Akari and Kujaku came through the crowd. Kanashi called them over, not bothering to respond to Neji's accurate taunt. He wasn't about to admit that he was bluffing, that would destroy the purpose.

"Now, now, I didn't mean it as a threat. I just want you all not to underestimate me and my team. We came here fully prepared, we don't need to stoop to coercion. Now, I know all of you, but you don't know me and my fellows. Allow me to rectify that problem."

Kanashi gestured to Akari, "This is my brother, Akari."

Akari, not realizing the tense situation just held up a hand in greeting.

"Hey, good luck out there."

The only one to respond was a Genin with a bowl-cut and huge eyebrows.

"And this is Kujaku, my other teammate and good friend."

She bowed to the group, also not realizing that they weren't actually on friendly terms with Kanashi at that moment.

"Hello! I hope you all do well. Maybe we'll see each other in the finals."

Ino gave a snort.

"Pretty confident aren't you?"

Kujaku simply nodded, a wide smile on her face.

The entire group remained silent for a while. Not really understanding what had just happened. One second they were greeting a foreign ninja, who then proceeded to claim he knew everything about them, and then introduced them to his team. It had all happened rather quickly and none of them knew how to handle it. Finally, Neji just let out a small chuckle.

"Well, I suppose this beats what happened last time, at any rate. Remember, Tenten, Lee? The Sound ninja? Compared to them, some know-it-all isn't really that big of a burden."

The girl he was talking to, Tenten he assumed, muttered something along the lines "Look who's talking."

Before Kanashi could continue the conversation, the door slammed open, revealing a Chunin with a large scar across his nose. Behind him were more Chunin, 15 in total. He cleared his throat to get the other Genin to cease their conversations.

"My name is Iruka Umino. I will be the Proctor for your first exam. Please sit down and get your pencils ready, The first test is upon you. There is assigned seating, so please refer to the chart on the wall to find where you will sit. Now get to it! The first test starts now!"


End file.
